Key to Her Heart
by S.P.D. Gold Ranger
Summary: When one of the Guardian's choices sends things spiraling way out of control, Nick winds up in Traverse Town and heads out with two new friends to investigate what's going on in the worlds... FINALLY COMPLETE!
1. Will's Instinctive Choice!

_Beautiful day._

Those two words ran constantly through 17-year-old Nick Kelly's head as he woke up early on a clear, sunny Friday morning. Being careful not to wake up his parents too early, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a breakfast bar.

As he ate, he began to think back on some of his past encounters...

...when suddenly, he could hear his blaring alarm clock go off!

Wasting no time, Nick quickly thrust his free hand in the general vicinity of his alarm clock. (His room was only about a stone's throw from the kitchen.)

His hand began glowing a bright yellow, and almost instantly, Nick could hear his alarm clock quickly shut off.

Nick went back to his breakfast bar after the alarm was gone. Now, you're probably wondering what the heck that was all about, right?

You see, Nick isn't your average Heatherfield boy. He's actually part of a group known as the Guardians of the Veil (though the actual group had been nicknamed W.I.T.C.H. by Hay Lin), and they each control a certain magical power. Nick's element is thunder and electricity, as clearly demonstrated.

It seemed, to Nick at least, hard to believe that over 4 years had passed since he and his friends had first become Guardians of the Veil. In that time, they'd done many things: ousting an evil prince, taking care of a vengeful ex-Guardian, stopping a squadron of rogue keyblade bearers...

...the list seemed to go on and on!

Nick felt really lucky to have moved from Fadden Hills to Heatherfield. It was in this quaint suburban city that he met the five best friends he could EVER have, girls who understood his special abilities.

During a recent mission, Nick and the girls of W.I.T.C.H. had been given special weapons known as "keyblades" to augment their already sizable powers. They would need it for the battle against a former Guardian who had been corrupted by the power of the Heart of Candracar, a tiny crystal pendant that the Guardians' leader held. This pendant, when called upon, would release and sharply magnify the Guardians' powers.

All in all, it had been a pretty successful few years since this gig started. It seemed that when they worked as a team, there was nothing that W.I.T.C.H. couldn't handle.

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Speaking of which, let's check in with one of these girls.

16-year-old Will Vandom looked wistfully at her dresser drawer, where a special keychain used to rest until about a year ago.

Ever since the Keyblade Wars had ended last year, the Guardians had relinquished their keyblades to the Oracle, keeping the mystical blades safe in case they'd ever need them again.

Things had been pretty quiet in the year between now and the Keyblade Wars, at least in the "evil freaks" department.

Will stared at the dresser where her Heart of Candracar keyblade used to rest. She'd begun to sorely miss that mystic weapon; it had always been fun to fight the bad guys, then just pop the keyblade out of nowhere and send them all running.

Suddenly, Will felt a strange feeling inside of her. It felt like... what was the word she was looking for?

...desire.

She wanted her keyblade back so badly now, and it seemed that there was nothing she wouldn't do to have it back.

Her mind made up, she slowly hopped out of her bed and walked over to her desk, where the Heart of Candracar itself was floating.

Gazing at the crystal pendant, a dark look suddenly glazed over Will's brown eyes.

"I will have my keyblade back..."

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(Sometimes, an evil force may be the last person you'd EVER expect...)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H._ in: "Key to Her Heart"  
Rated: T for intense moments and some harsh language  
Summary: This is the sequel to my first epic, _W.I.T.C.H.: The Keyblade Warriors._ In the aftermath of the Keyblade Wars, things seem to be peaceful in Heatherfield, until one of the Guardians' choices send things spiraling way out of control. A terrible storm hits the city, and Nick is separated from his friends. Winding up in Traverse Town, of all places, Nick begins a new quest. What is happening to the worlds?  
World Exploration Theme (Heatherfield): "Lazy Afternoons"  
World Exploration Theme (Traverse Town): "Traverse Town"  
World Battle Theme (Heatherfield): "Night of Fate"  
World Battle Theme (Traverse Town): "Hand in Hand"  
Boss Battle Theme (Guard Armor): "Shrouding Dark Cloud"

_W.I.T.C.H._ and all cartoons and games used in this story are copyright of their respective owners. This story copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger, December 2006.

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Chapter 1: Will's Instinctive Choice! The Grand Journey Begins!

"Has anybody seen Will?" 16-year-old Irma Lair asked, walking by Nick's side down the long hallways of Sheffield Institute.

Once again, a new school year had started at Sheffield Institute, and things had definitely quieted down since the Keyblade Wars.

"I called her last night," Taranee Cook replied, joining the two as they headed to class. "She didn't sound too good."

"I hope she's okay," Nick stated.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Irma replied, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

As they got closer to their class, who else but local nerd Martin Tubbs should appear. This time, however, Irma wasn't as miffed about it. She was very grateful to Martin, as he played a big part in the Keyblade Wars.

"Hey, Martin," Irma said, waving to Martin. Then, in a low whisper, so no one but Martin and the Guardians could hear, she asked, "Thanks for helping us out back then."

"It's no problem, Irma," Martin replied. "You probably would have done the same."

Nick looked out the nearby window as Irma and Martin made conversation. _I miss having the Oathkeeper. But at least I know it's in good hands with the Oracle..._

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In Candracar's royal palace, something is very wrong...

Indeed, though Candracar is protected by a special barrier that keeps the forces of darkness out of the realm, Heartless are lurking everywhere.

Everyone has no idea what's going on. But two very brave young souls have stepped up to fight this menace...

As a Neoshadow creeps about, it is suddenly met with the business end of a mysterious weapon. As the Neoshadow flies backwards and evaporates, two girls rush by, both wielding keyblades of their own.

The first girl was an 11-year-old of Chinese heritage with two long black ponytails, wearing a pink and blue kimono. Her keyblade clearly reflected her culture: the handle consisted of two curved katanas (which didn't hurt her), the blade was just that; a long, thin sword, and the tip was a mysterious dragon-type object. An ancient Chinese coin was dangling from the keychain. We can hear the words Chinese Spirit as we see the first keyblade.

The second girl is a 13-year-old with long, wavy brown hair, wearing a pink t-shirt and blue jean shorts. Her keyblade is clearly modeled after hearts. The handle is a curved heart that represents the symbol of Kingdom Hearts, the blade is a long chain of pink Heartless symbols, and the tip is a bright star that looks very familiar. A girl's diary was dangling from the keychain. As we study this keyblade, we can hear the words Sweet Crest.

The Chinese girl took a coin out of her pocket and quickly tossed it into the air as the duo approached a swarm of Neoshadows.

"Force, know my plight! Release the light! STOP!" the Chinese girl shouted, slamming her keyblade into the airborne coin. The letters of the coin begin glowing with a mystical light. As if reacting to the girl's call, every Heartless in the vicinity freezes dead in their tracks, giving the two girls ample time to wipe out each and every one of the Neoshadows with some rapid keyblade attacks.

"Wow, Maylin. You've gotten better at those spells," the brown-haired girl said to the Chinese girl.

"You think you can do better, Haruka?" Maylin responded.

"I'd be delighted," Haruka shot back, holding Sweet Crest out as still more Neoshadows appeared. Focusing her powers on her keyblade, Haruka shouted, "FREEZE!"

Obeying Haruka's command, a powerful gust of icy wind flew from her keyblade and effectively froze all of the nearby Neoshadows in a block of ice. That ice block was quickly shattered by Maylin and Chinese Spirit.

Before the two could get their bearings, a gigantic Heartless appeared behind them and swiped its massive arm at them. Maylin and Haruka were just barely able to dodge the attack.

"Oh, man! What is that thing?" Haruka asked, backing off from the massive Heartless.

"I'll bet it's their leader," Maylin responded, charging for it. But, before the Chinese girl could get an attack in edgewise, Darkside vanished.

"Where did he go?" Maylin asked.

"We've got bigger problems than just him, Maylin! LOOK!" Haruka shouted, pointing upwards, towards the sky; a star was beginning to fade out quickly.

"Is that... Heatherfield?" Maylin wondered. "The Guardians' home?"

"If it is, we'd better move! I don't like the looks of this!" Haruka exclaimed, dashing off towards a mysterious chamber.

"Wait! Haruka, where are you going?" Maylin shouted, following Haruka.

"To get some help."

Before long, the duo found themselves in the Auramere chamber, where on a pillar just to the right of the six Aurameres, were six keyblades, each corresponding to its respective Auramere: Golden Oathkeeper, Heart of Candracar, Mysterious Abyss, Bond of Flame, Seismic Star, and Sword of the Storm.

"Aren't those the Guardians' keyblades?" Maylin asked.

"Yeah. We need to get these keyblades back to them, or who knows WHAT'S going to happen to Heatherfield?" Haruka explained, reaching for the Heart of Candracar keyblade, but it suddenly pulsed with a burst of dark energy and knocked Haruka to the floor.

"What was that?" Maylin asked.

As if reacting to that dark energy, the Heart of Candracar keyblade suddenly shifted appearance, becoming a new, yet very familiar keyblade.

"No... the Dark Keyblade!" Maylin and Haruka shouted.

At that precise moment, and just as the Dark Keyblade disappeared, the Oracle himself came into the chamber.

"Your Majesty," Maylin stated in a panic. "We have BIG trouble!"

"I know. And I am afraid it is much worse than I thought," the Oracle explained. "Ever since we have held on to the Guardians' keyblades until they would be needed, Will has fabricated a dark desire to have her keyblade back, and she will do anything to retrieve it, even if it means corrupting other worlds to find it."

"Does... does that mean...?" Haruka asked softly.

"Yes, Haruka. I am afraid that..."

The Oracle hung his head.

"We have lost the Keeper to the darkness..."

Maylin and Haruka leaned on each other for support, drawing on the close bond they shared with each other.

"Now, listen, girls. I have a very important mission for you," the Oracle explained. "You must head to Traverse Town and find a man named Leon. He will tell you what you need to know. If you find the Guardians, make sure to tell them what's happened. We can no longer leave anything to chance."

"Right," the two girls replied.

"I am counting on you."

With that, Maylin and Haruka raised their keyblades and disappeared in a flash of light.

"If they cannot bring Will back to our side, then no one can..."

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_So much for a perfect day,_ Nick thought as he headed home. The beautiful weather that had headlined most of the school day had suddenly made a turn for the worse, thunderstorms and heavy rain all over the place. If only Nick knew the real reason for these storms...

As he quickly opened his umbrella, he almost noticed someone familiar nearby...

_I hope the girls didn't get caught in this..._

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Taranee quickly dodged a strike from Will and the Dark Keyblade, who seemed to have gone berserk on the girls.

"Will! What's happening to you?" Hay Lin asked.

"Don't you see?" Will shot back. "Your little tricks won't work anymore! I have accepted the darkness, and nothing you can do will make me change my mind!"

"What happened to Will? Is someone trying to bring her to the dark side?" Cornelia asked while dodging many acrobatic strikes from Will.

"Um, Corny, I think she already IS on the dark side!" Irma shot back before turning to Will.

"Will, listen to me, hon. You have to snap out of it!" Irma pleaded with Will, hoping to knock some sense into the corrupted Keeper.

Suddenly, Will turned the Dark Keyblade on Irma and charged for her. "YOU shall be a special prize for my master."

Irma surrounded herself with a barrier of water, but Will easily cut through it.

We can hear a sword slash as the screen cuts to black.

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As Nick passed by the Heatherfield Ocean on his way home, he noticed something peculiar.

"Is that... Will?" Nick asked. "Wait. Something doesn't seem right. I'm sensing a VERY strong dark energy here."

Nick slowly but surely made his way over to Will, who was wearing an outfit that looked similar to the one that Riku wore when he'd been possessed by Ansem.

"Will?" Nick asked. "Is something the matter?"

Will didn't respond.

"Will?" Nick asked again. "Will, answer me!"

Only four words escaped Will's mouth.

"The door... has opened..."

"What?" Nick replied. Suddenly, Will turned to face Nick, and that's when the boy knew something was wrong. Will's eyes were glazed over with a dark energy – a darkness Nick knew too well.

"I don't know about you, but I'm tired of just being restricted to travel in this world alone," Will explained. "I want to see other worlds... worlds beyond this galaxy!"

"What's happened to you, Will?" Nick asked. "I've known you long enough to realize that you'd never surrender so easily to the darkness!"

"I had to, Nick. It was the only way that I could access other worlds!"

"But you're destroying ours in the process!"

All of a sudden, Will held her hand out towards Nick, her entire body being slowly covered in a dark aura. "This is our only chance, Nick. Come with me if you want to, and we can see any world we want!"

"What about the others?" Nick shot back, trying to knock some sense into Will.

"Look, are you coming or not?" Will asked, her body almost completely covered in dark energy.

"Will!" Nick shouted, surprisingly covered in the same darkness that Will was being surrounded by.

"No, Will. I will NOT associate myself with someone of the dark!" Nick shouted, his mind made up.

"Suit yourself," Will replied before disappearing. As Nick was slowly but surely drawn into the darkness, a mysterious light began shining, evaporating the dark energy surrounding Nick.

When the light cleared, Nick looked at his left hand; the Oathkeeper keyblade was resting tightly in his hand.

"The Oathkeeper..." Nick said softly. "Something's very wrong here..."

Nick suddenly looked towards the city – which was completely in ruins again.

"What happened?" Nick exclaimed. "What did she do to the city?"

Nick didn't have to wait for an inquiry, because at that very moment, the chunk of land he was standing on broke off from the beach and floated into the air. Nick could only watch in horror as the city of Heatherfield began slowly breaking up and falling to pieces, lost to the darkness of Will's betrayal.

Before Nick could react, a large arm swiped at him. Nick was quickly able to block the strike with Oathkeeper.

Nick quickly got a good view of what had just attacked him; it was Darkside, the very Heartless that had destroyed Destiny Islands a while ago.

"I don't have time for the likes of you!" Nick shouted, raising Oathkeeper in a fighting stance. Darkside simply raised its gigantic arm and slammed it into the ground, using its dark power to summon a group of Neoshadows, which were quickly dispatched by an angry Nick.

Taking his chance, Nick jumped on and ran up Darkside's arm until he reached the head. Showing no more mercy, Nick began attacking for all he was worth, slicing into Darkside's head over and over again with the Oathkeeper. After a while of this, Nick had finally had enough, leaping back and driving the Oathkeeper straight into Darkside's head.

That was enough, as Darkside screamed in agony before evaporating. Unfortunately, that left nothing from making the platform they were standing on resistant to the darkness.

As Nick fell into the sphere of darkness, his only thought was...

_Irma, I'm sorry... I... I couldn't protect you..._

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"Do you think he's okay?"

"He's not dead, is he?"

"No, he's just unconscious. But it looks like he took one hell of a hit."

"What do you think happened to him?"

Voices.

That was all Nick could hear as he slowly stirred. He felt a number of bruises from the battle against Darkside, as well as a large bump on his forehead that still hurt badly.

"I think he's waking up!"

Indeed, Nick sat up that very moment, slowly opening his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he seemed to be in a town that looked like Heatherfield, only brighter, much smaller, and bathed in a seemingly tranquil darkness.

Another thing he noticed was that two girls were staring at him.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay," the Chinese girl said.

"How are you feeling?" the brown-haired girl asked Nick.

Suddenly, Nick remembered...

"Will! I don't know who did this to you, but they're going to pay!" Nick shouted, the Oathkeeper materializing in his hands.

That made the two girls gasp.

"You... you're a Guardian, aren't you?" the Chinese girl asked.

"How do you know that?" Nick asked defensively.

"We're from Candracar. The Oracle sent us on a mission to see if anyone survived the attack on Heatherfield," the Chinese girl replied.

Nick hung his head at the mention of his destroyed home.

"Heatherfield... it's gone, isn't it?"

The girls nodded sadly.

"Maybe we can help. It seems you're the only Guardian who made it out alive," the brown-haired girl noted. "If you want, we can go with you and help you find your friends."

"Thanks," Nick replied, resting the Oathkeeper on his shoulder. "That would mean a lot to me."

"So, we're a team, then?" the Chinese girl said. "My name's Maylin, and this is Haruka. The Oracle told us to find someone named Leon. We believe he's somewhere in this town."

"Maybe this Leon character knows what's been happening..." Nick responded. "Let's go find him."

That said, Nick headed off into Traverse Town with two new friends by his side all the way. But, unbeknownst to all of them, a mysterious, shady group is watching them from another world...

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"I've never seen a boy who could do things like THAT," a witch girl with long, white hair exclaimed as she and a gathering of world villains watched Nick, Haruka, and Maylin.

"Such is the power of the keyblade," a mysterious robed man carrying a retractable sword replied. "The child's strength is not his own."

"Why don't we just turn him into a Heartless?" a raven-haired boy replied, a pure black, dinosaur-like machine standing behind him. "That would settle things quick enough."

"And the brat's friends are the Oracle's lackeys," the witch noted. "They have some of the worst fashion sense I've ever seen..."

"You're no prize yourself," a female scientist of about 24 noted, taking a shot at the witch.

"You shut up!" the witch shouted, forming an icy ball of energy in her hands.

"Enough!" a new voice boomed. All of the villains turned towards an obscured shadow, with the corrupted Will standing right next to the shadow.

"The keyblade master has been chosen. Will he conquer the darkness, or will it swallow him? Either way, he could be quite useful..."

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As Nick, Haruka, and Maylin continued exploring Traverse Town and searching for Leon, they eventually ran into the Heartless.

"Not these things again!" Haruka shouted, plowing through a couple of Neoshadows with Sweet Crest.

Meanwhile, Maylin tossed a coin into the air and struck it with her keyblade. Out of nowhere, a ton of lightning bolts dropped from the sky and vaporized more Neoshadows. However, a ton more just kept coming.

"Okay, I've officially had enough of this!" Nick shouted, the Oathkeeper glowing brightly. Nick jumped into the middle of the mass of Neoshadows, a mystic circle appearing at Nick's landing point. Moving fast, Nick drove his keyblade into the ground at the center of the circle of light. Then, he turned the Oathkeeper, as if unlocking a door. Reacting to Nick's movement, a mass of energy appeared above him, shooting energy beams every which way until the entire Second District was covered in a blinding light.

Once the light cleared, Maylin and Haruka could only look on in total surprise; Nick's attack had wiped out EVERY Neoshadow in the Second District.

"What? You haven't seen the keyblade's power before?" Nick joked.

"Something's up here," Maylin wondered. "These Heartless seem to be taking orders from someone..."

"We'd better find their leader, then," Nick replied. "These things took my home, my life, and my friends away from me, and I'm not going to rest until they're gone for good!"

"All right, then," Haruka exclaimed. "Let's go find Leon. Maybe he knows..."

No sooner had Haruka said that than many pieces of an armor suit fell down from the sky; first came two small, clawed arms, followed by a pair of legs with clamps for feet, and finally came a round, cylindrical torso that curved outwards as it reached the bottom. Everyone quickly readied their weapons.

Finally, the head fell onto the torso, and the whole thing came together, forming the Guard Armor.

"I'm guessing that's their leader?" Haruka asked.

The Guard Armor answered by thrusting its clawed arms straight for Haruka. Nick was over there in a flash, immobilizing the arm with the Oathkeeper.

All of a sudden, the Guard Armor began stomping towards the trio, its arms swiping madly.

Maylin hopped into the air and drew a Fire coin. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! FIRE!" she chanted, slamming her keyblade into the coin. The letters on the coin shined before unleashing a blast of fire that impacted the Guard Armor's left arm and easily destroyed it.

"Well, now we know its weakness," Maylin noted, readying another Fire spell coin. Before she could cast the spell, however, the destroyed arm suddenly reappeared.

"Okay, no one told me that thing could regenerate itself!" Maylin shouted, slapping her forehead in frustration.

While the girls were busy, Nick decided on direct attack, and began swinging madly, cutting deep into the Guard Armor's torso.

Suddenly, Nick got an idea.

"Girls! I think I know why it keeps regenerating itself!" Nick shouted, drawing Maylin and Haruka's attention. "As long as the torso is around, the arms and legs can regenerate themselves! I bet that if we can take down the torso, the whole thing will vaporize!"

No more words needed to be said, and thus Maylin and Haruka began concentrating their attacks on the Guard Armor's body while Nick charged up a special attack.

After a bit of punishment, the Guard Armor aimed its free arm towards Nick. One slap and Nick was sent flying.

"Oh, no! Hold on, Nick!" Maylin shouted, drawing a special spell coin from her pockets. "CURE!" she shouted, aiming the coin towards the damaged Nick. In an instant, the wound on Nick's arm caused by the Guard Armor's surprise attack instantly disappeared.

"Thanks," Nick said before holding the Oathkeeper into the air and finishing his charge-up. Soon enough, Nick began glowing a bright blue.

"Stand back, girls!" Nick shouted, prompting both girls to back away. Nick took this as his chance, flying upwards and disappearing from sight. The Guard Armor looked left and right for Nick, but to no avail.

Seemingly out of the blue, Nick reappeared again, and charged for the Guard Armor, the Oathkeeper held out proudly. He used his power to charge forward at incredible speeds, attacking each and every part of the Guard Armor. First, he focused on the arms, then the legs, and once all of the appendages were out of the way, he delivered a final slash to the Guard Armor's torso, considerably damaging it. The now solitary torso fell to the ground. However, Nick wasn't done yet.

"You're finished," Nick simply said, rushing towards the fallen Heartless. In an instant, Nick had jammed Oathkeeper straight into the Guard Armor's head. A few seconds later, the Guard Armor completely disappeared, its only remains being a giant, glowing heart that floated into the sky.

"Wow," Maylin said, completely awestruck at that final attack.

"I see you've mastered the keyblade," a new voice replied.

The trio quickly turned around, ready to face a possible new enemy. However, the voice turned out to be that of a man with short, spiky brown hair, wearing black and brown clothes, and carrying a silver sword that seemed to look like a gun.

"Leon!" Maylin and Haruka exclaimed.

"Okay then, _Leon_," Nick shot back as he walked up to Leon. "What's going on? What happened to my home? What happened to my friends?"

"I'm afraid... your friends have been lost to the darkness."

"What?!" the trio exclaimed.

"It all happened when the keeper of the Heart from your world was seduced by the darkness," Leon explained. "Her betrayal upset the Heart of your world, and thus, the Heartless were able to find Heatherfield's heart and take it."

"Does that mean... I'll never see home again?" Nick asked, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

Maylin came over and put a comforting arm around Nick.

"It's okay, Nick," Maylin said softly. "We'll find your friends AND restore your home. I promise."

"You... you really mean that?" Nick asked.

"We all do," Haruka replied, joining in the circle.

"Thanks, girls," Nick said. "That means so much to me."

"You must find the Keeper and try to bring her back to the light," Leon stated. "Only then can you restore your world, and all those that have been taken by the Heartless."

"All right, then," Nick exclaimed. "Let's get going. Will could be on any of the worlds out there. We'd better go look for her."

Together, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka walk towards the Traverse Town exit. And so begins a new journey. But what lies ahead for these newly-forged friends?

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Okay, this is the part where I explain the new characters, Maylin and Haruka.

Maylin (full name: Maylin Rae) is basically this story's equivalent of Donald, extremely proficient in all kinds of magic spells. She may seem brash and uncaring, but she has a heart of gold deep down. She also has a love of karaoke, as we'll see later.

Haruka (full name: Haruka Rose) is Goofy's equal, proficient in strength and defense. Haruka can sympathize with Nick about losing his friends to the dark, as her homeworld was lost to the Heartless at a young age. Haruka has a powerful intuition, and notices a lot of things that others may miss.

Next time:

Chapter 2: Magic is Everywhere! Meet the Five Fairies, the Winx Club!

Nick, Maylin, and Haruka are off on a brand new adventure! Their first stop is a school district that teaches all kinds of magic skills. But it seems that something shady is going on under the guise of a relatively normal class...


	2. Meet the Five Fairies, the Winx Club!

Coming out of a column of light, Nick, Haruka, and Maylin appeared in a forest-like area that seemed to simply swell with magical energy.

"Wow," Haruka said, scanning her surroundings for anything that seemed familiar in her travels. "It's been a while since I've been here."

"Wait, I'm confused about something, girls," Nick replied, letting the Oathkeeper rest on his back. "I thought that traveling to worlds outside our own galaxy was impossible. Sora had said something about these impassable barriers that prevented world travel."

"That's the thing," Maylin responded. "You see, that thing about the barriers is true. But, when the Heartless and Nobodies came about, their dark energy tore down the barriers. So, that's about the only thing I'm grateful to the Heartless for, since they unwittingly gave us a way to travel to new worlds and stop them."

"I guess it's not really such a small world after all," Nick noted.

As Haruka walked along, she suddenly noticed a mysterious paper lying in the middle of a clearing.

"Hey, what's this?" Haruka asked, picking up the writing.

"What'd you find, Haruka?" Maylin wondered, taking a close look at the paper her best friend had found.

"It looks like some kind of report," Haruka replied as the trio took a good look at the report. Haruka began reading it aloud:

_Report #2_

_I have made a grave mistake._

_My study of the "darkness of the heart" began with a simple psychological test and quickly snowballed._

_Spurred on by my youngest apprentice, Ienzo, I constructed a massive laboratory in the basement of my castle._

_Unbeknownst to me, my six apprentices then began collecting a large number of subjects on which to perform dangerous experiments into the "darkness of the heart"._

_As soon as I found out, I called my apprentices together and ordered them not only to cease their studies, but to destroy the results of their research thus far._

_What on earth was happening within the hearts of my six beloved apprentices? While pursuing the mystery of the darkness of the heart, could they themselves have strayed into its depths?_

_Yet I remain the most foolish of all, for having begun these experiments._

_We are not meant to interfere in the depths of another's heart, no matter what out reasons for doing so..._

_And my error plunged me into despair._

_A visitor from another world soothed my dejected soul._

_A young girl named Cassidy came wielding a legendary key--the infamous "Keyblade," said to bring both chaos and prosperity to the world._

_She was very knowledgeable on many topics, and we deepened our friendship as we conversed companionably._

_Upon her recommendation, I decided to review the data obtained at my basement lab._

_That is when I discovered the "Ansem Reports."_

_Though they bore my name, the only one I had written was number 0._

_Apparently he had gone to pen numbers 1 though 8 himself._

_Yes--the first subject in my foolish experiments._

Studying the report carefully, Nick was the first one to speak.

"Ansem..." Nick said softly.

"You know him?" Maylin asked.

"Somewhat," Nick replied. "Sora said that Ansem was once a proud scientist who studied the Heartless. But, unfortunately, the reports Sora had found said that Ansem had turned to darkness."

"Guys, we're here!" Haruka exclaimed, pointing towards an enormous building just beyond the clearing where they'd found the report.

Nick and Maylin gazed on in wonder at the sight that stood before them. It looked like some kind of school, but it was radiating that mystic energy they'd felt upon their arrival.

"Welcome," Haruka greeted, "to the Alfea School of Magic."

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(They say magic is all around you... what if that were really true?)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H. _in: "Key to Her Heart"  
Rated: T for intense/romantic moments and some harsh language  
Summary: Nick, Haruka, and Maylin's first stop on their travels is the Alfea School of Magic, where they meet a very... "special" group of fairies. Problem is, someone or something has been going around the school and stealing a person's magical powers. Can Nick, Maylin, Haruka, and the Winx Club get to the bottom of things?  
World Exploration Theme: "Never Land Sky"  
World Battle Theme: "Pirate's Gigue"  
Boss Battle Theme (Trickmaster): "Shrouding Dark Cloud"

_W.I.T.C.H._ belongs to Disney and JETIX. The _Winx Club_ belongs to Rainbow S.P.L. This story copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger, November 2006. My goal for this story is to take Nick, Maylin, and Haruka to worlds from shows that no one would EVER expect from _Kingdom Hearts_ or _W.I.T.C.H._

Note: The "themes" listed above are music tracks from the Kingdom Hearts OST that I feel you'd get the best effect for the story if you listen to the music it specifies at the time. For example, if you were reading the boss battle for this chapter, you should listen to "Shrouding Dark Cloud" to get the full effect from that particular scene.

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Chapter 2: Magic is Everywhere! Meet the Five Fairies, the Winx Club!

"You mean they have a school that teaches magic?" Nick asked in wonder.

"Sure do," Haruka replied. "But only someone with any kind of magical power can see it. And we're about as magical as they come."

Once those words had left Haruka's mouth, the trio's keyblades each materialized in their hands.

"There must be a reason we were sent to this world," Nick noted. "If we're here, the Heartless must be here, too."

"Guess we have some work to do," Haruka said. With that, the trio ran down the long and winding path that led to the Alfea School.

As the trio ran out of sight, Will emerged from the nearby shadows, letting out a menacing laugh.

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Nick marveled at the sheer size of Alfea School. Something seemed familiar about this place, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it...

He didn't have time to think, however, because at that very moment, he noticed a bunch of Neoshadows heading into the school.

"Told you. Heartless are everywhere!" Nick shouted, dashing off towards the school. As he neared the main building, he noticed someone - or something – already blasting through a group of Neoshadows.

After a few seconds, a group of five girls, each with sparkling fairy dresses and translucent wings, flew onto the scene.

Nick carefully studied the girls. The first girl had long, flowing fire-orange hair, and her dress was a radiant sapphire. She seemed to be their leader.

The second girl's dress was glowing a bright yellow, and her blonde hair was tied into two long ponytails. It looked like she was carrying a staff of some sort.

The third girl had a hairstyle similar to the first, only it was a tree-brown instead of orange. This girl's dress was a bright emerald green.

The fourth member of the group had ponytails like the second girl, only they were shorter, and a dark purple instead of yellow. Her dress was a dark violet.

The last girl's silver dress seemed to cover almost her entire body, but a bit of pink, spiky hair could be seen at the front. Instead of wings, this girl seemed to have what appeared to be a green outline of a glider on her back.

The leader of the group flew down and planted her foot straight into the nearest Neoshadow, sending it flying into a few others.

However, more Neoshadows just kept coming, eventually overpowering the fairy girls.

"Oh, man! We'd better get over there! They need our help!" Nick exclaimed, raising the Oathkeeper and charging for the battle site, his companions not too far behind.

Once they had reached the swarm of Neoshadows, Nick quickly drove the Oathkeeper into the head of a Neoshadow, instantly vaporizing it.

Meanwhile, Haruka and Maylin had gone to work themselves. Haruka had just dispatched a group of Neoshadows with a ranged attack that seemed to mirror that of Strike Raid.

Maylin drew another spell coin and concentrated, her ponytails fluttering in the wake of her magical aura. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!" Responding to Maylin's call, her spell coin began glowing a radiant gold, and soon enough, a series of lightning bolts shot from the sky and struck the group of Neoshadows she was concentrating on.

Nick, meanwhile, was defending the fairy girls from the seemingly endless group of Neoshadows. After a while, Nick brought out Fatal Crest, his other keyblade, and began hacking away at even more Neoshadows. The blonde girl was surprised at how Nick could wield both weapons so easily.

Out of instinct, Maylin drew another spell coin from her pocket and tossed it over the group of Neoshadows that Nick had engaged. Focusing her magical aura on the coin, she shouted, "GATHER!" and all of those Neoshadows were snared up in a Magnera field, leaving every single Heartless open to Nick's attack.

And that's just what he did, focusing his powers on his keyblades, which seemed to be floating a few inches from his hands. Without any prior warning, Nick began making crazy hand movements, as if he were attacking rapidly. His keyblades seemed to respond to Nick's movements, slamming into each of the trapped Heartless quickly and mercilessly. Nick finished the assault with a beautifully-executed Aerial Finish attack. The force of that final attack vaporized the Neoshadows, and the ones that were left had no choice but to beat a hasty retreat.

Once Nick had landed, his keyblades were in his solid grip, and the Magnera spell had worn off, Nick turned his attention to the fairy girls.

"What were those things?" the orange-haired girl asked.

"Let's get back inside. I'll explain on the way," Nick replied, walking towards the entrance of the school, the fairy girls following. In the nearby shadows, Will could be seen holding the Dark Keyblade. Behind her was a large, skinny, arm-flailing Heartless.

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Back at the mysterious castle, another meeting is taking place.

"Where's Icy?" the female scientist, Dr. Amagi, wondered, looking around the room for one of her fellow villains.

"Oh, who knows with that witch?" the young boy Raven shot back. His Organoid, Shadow, roared in agreement.

"She has found the wielders of the Keyblade," a deep voice responded.

Dr. Amagi quickly drew a longsword she'd been given when she had been recruited for this mission, but quickly let it drop to her side upon realizing who had just spoken.

"Oh, it's only you, Lord Diablos," Dr. Amagi replied.

A new shadow appeared in front of the gathering, eventually forming itself into a man of about 30 or so, with long, spiky black hair, a silver robe, and a mysterious staff in his hands.

"Icy has left for her world to find its heart and surrender it to the Heartless," Diablos mentioned.

"She'd better watch herself," Raven mentioned, looking at his partners. "She's practically inviting the darkness into her heart. If she's not careful, the Heartless WILL destroy her."

"She is expendable. I merely require the worlds' hearts. Then, I can open Kingdom Hearts and destroy all who oppose me with its unbridled power," Diablos noted, laughing maniacally.

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_Alfea School, Stadium Complex_

"So, they come out of the darkness in people's hearts?" Bloom wondered after hearing the full explanation of the Heartless and their motives.

"Yeah. That's probably why they try to steal other people's hearts," Nick responded, twirling the Oathkeeper in his hands.

"We're the ones that were chosen to fight the Heartless. That's why we have the Keyblade," Maylin explained. "It's up to us to defeat the Heartless and seal the keyholes to each world."

"What's this about a 'keyhole'?" Musa asked.

"That's how the Heartless destroy the worlds. They find the world's heart, and they take it, leaving nothing behind but an empty shell. Any survivors... I don't know what would happen to them," Nick explained.

"See, only the Keyblade can close a world's keyhole. That way, that world's heart is safe from the darkness," Haruka noted.

"So, where do you think this world's keyhole is?" Tecna asked.

"That's what we don't know," Nick replied. "This is the first world we've been to on our travels."

"And it'll be your last, too!" a mysterious voice exclaimed.

Everyone turned around, searching for the source of the voice. Nick was the first to catch the source: a 17-year-old witch with snow-colored hair and a blue body-hugging suit.

"Icy! For the last time, you're not getting the Dragon Fire!" Bloom shouted, shifting into battle stance.

"You should count yourself lucky, fire girl. I'm not going after the Dragon Fire today," Icy explained. "What I want is that keyblade!"

Suddenly, Icy lunged towards Nick, but was quickly batted away by the Oathkeeper.

"All right. If it's a fight you want, it's a fight your going to get!" Nick shouted, the Oathkeeper glowing a bright orange as Nick prepared for an Ars Arcanum attack.

Before Nick could get his attack in, however, he was quickly knocked off balance by a long, lanky arm that was carrying a torch.

Nick looked up to see what had stopped his attack; it was a gigantic Heartless with long, lanky arms and legs, axes for feet, and a round, cone-shaped head that looked a lot like a drill. It was juggling two long, burning torches in its hands.

"This can't be good," Haruka stated.

"It's over for you! With this Heartless on my side, I'll finally be able to destroy you pathetic Winx girls together!" Icy proclaimed, laughing like a maniac. She stood on the shoulder of the immense Heartless. "Trickmaster, ATTACK!"

Obeying Icy's command, the Trickmaster crossed its dual torches and began charging up energy.

"Oh, I've seen this one before!" Maylin exclaimed, drawing a spell coin from her pocket. "I'll show you! BLIZZARA!!"

Maylin slammed the Chinese Spirit keyblade into the coin and shot a powerful gust of frost towards the Trickmaster. However, to Maylin's evident surprise, the Trickmaster then shot a gigantic fireball from its crossed torches that punched through Maylin's Blizzara spell.

"What the...?" Maylin exclaimed, just barely batting away the fireball with her keyblade.

"All right, my turn!" Haruka shouted, running up and charging her Sweet Crest keyblade until it began glowing a bright blue. Taking her chance, Haruka threw her keyblade towards the Trickmaster, hoping to knock it off balance so Maylin could attempt another spell. This time, it worked, the spinning Sweet Crest slamming into the Trickmaster, causing it to fall to its knees. The impact was such that Icy was sent flying off of the Trickmaster.

Maylin drew another spell coin, intent on having this one hurt. "You picked the wrong girl to mess with, dark boy! THUNDARA!!"

Her spell coin glowing a bright yellow, Maylin thrust her keyblade towards the Trickmaster, a giant bolt of electricity flying for it. However, the Trickmaster easily absorbed it, firing it right back at Maylin, who just barely dodged.

Seeing his own chance, Nick raised the Oathkeeper and made a massive leap towards the flailing Icy. One good strike sent her flying. Nick wasn't done yet, though.

Nick focused on the Oathkeeper's magical energy and teleported to Icy's location, knocking her backwards with another strike. Icy could do nothing but watch helplessly as Nick pinballed her around in the air before delivering a final downward slash that sent the ice witch crashing to the ground.

With Icy incapacitated, Nick turned his focus on the Trickmaster, the Oathkeeper glowing a bright blue. The Trickmaster noticed this, and began flailing its arms wildly, not giving Nick a single opening to attack from.

This didn't faze Nick in the slightest, as he quickly charged for the immense Heartless. Before he struck, he seemed to move forward so fast that nothing was left but a single ghost image.

The Winx Club knew what Nick was trying to do, so they each focused their magical powers on the Trickmaster, binding it in a seal of mystic energy.

Nick reappeared rather quickly, and, much like he had done with the Guard Armor, drove the Oathkeeper straight into the Trickmaster's head. After a short while, the Trickmaster completely evaporated, its only remains being a single glowing heart and a leaf-green crystal.

"NO! I can't believe it!" Icy shouted, enraged over the Trickmaster's defeat. "You will pay for this, Winx Club! You AND your little friends! I will have my—"

That was about as far as Icy got before lunging forward in pain. She looked down, and saw Nick plunging the Oathkeeper into her heart.

"Powers of the keyblade, seal away the heart of this evil witch!" Nick shouted, the Oathkeeper radiating a mystic energy. Said energy began enveloping Icy, slowly eating away at the darkness in her heart. Once the spell had taken its toll, Icy was gone. In her place was a rolled up scroll.

"What's that?" Maylin asked.

"You think it's another one of those Ansem Reports?" Haruka asked as Nick walked over and unrolled the letter.

"What does it say?" Flora asked. Nick began reading aloud as the others listened intently.

_Report #5_

_In this realm, where all existence has been disintegrated, I have just barely managed to preserve my sense of self by continuing to think and to write._

_It is a place where even time has lost all meaning. Eternity is as but a moment here._

_I must make haste. Certainly their plans are already underway._

_The Heartless must be the key to unraveling this mystery._

_The six traitors were operating a laboratory that churned out those cursed shadows._

_Not only did they generate "pureblood" Heartless from living hearts, but they then used those Heartless to synthesize artificial versions of the creatures as well._

_These synthetic Heartless bore insignias and were called "Emblems."_

_Pureblood or Emblem, these Heartless act to fulfill their instinctive needs. They single-mindedly detect hearts and swarm around them._

_A human's commands would be ineffective: the Heartless would easily steal the human's heart and use it to increase their own ranks._

_But what if an even stronger Heartless was giving the orders?_

_If he cast aside his own soul and body and became a Heartless, wouldn't he be able to control the otherwise intractable Heartless?_

_Furthermore, wouldn't he be planning to make use of the creatures' instincts? If the heart-seeking Heartless have their sights set on a larger, more powerful heart, then their ultimate goal is crystal-clear._

_The largest heart in existence--the heart of the world._

_This is all conjecture, but it would seem he is utilizing the Heartless in his search for a path leading to the heart of the world._

Once Nick was done reading, he began wondering...

"So, this Ansem guy was researching the Heartless?" Bloom asked.

"Yeah. But according to this report, something went wrong..." Nick mused.

Suddenly, a mysterious glow caught everyone's attention. Bloom was the first to notice a mysterious keyhole at the top of the stadium roof.

Nick said nothing, raising the Oathkeeper towards the keyhole. In a flash, the Oathkeeper shot a beam of light into the keyhole, promptly sealing it off from the Heartless.

"Guess that means we have to go..." Maylin stated.

"Will we see you again?" Bloom asked.

"We'll be back. I promise," Nick replied.

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Back at Hollow Bastion, Dr. Amagi and Raven were looking over at Will, who was holding the Soul Eater in her hands.

"They finished off Icy," Will simply stated.

"I tried to warn that witch," Dr. Amagi exclaimed. "She had no idea what kind of power she held. It made her easy prey for the Heartless."

"I knew she couldn't be trusted," Will proclaimed, brandishing the Soul Eater. "I'll take care of those kids myself."

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Next time:

Chapter 3: Do, Re, Mi! The First Encounter With Will!

Nick, Maylin, and Haruka arrive at the next world: a bustling harbor city with a familiar magical aura. But, is something going on under this cover of peace?

Ja ne,

S.P.D. Gold Ranger


	3. Do, Re, Mi! First Encounter With Will!

Unbeknownst to her parents, young Dorie Goodwyn was practicing her special magic with her friends, Reanne Griffith and Mirabelle Haywood. Now, you probably think that's unusual for three kids their age, but if you've kept up with their adventures, you should know that they're what their teacher calls "witchlings". That doesn't mean that they're full-on witches yet, but they're pretty close to it.

It's quite a long story, but I won't bore you with all the details.

Just as Dorie was about to cast her first spell of the day, Reanne suddenly felt a mysterious new energy appear somewhere close by.

Dorie noticed this, and looked at her friend with a confused eye. "What's wrong, Reanne?"

"I just sensed a powerful energy nearby..." the smart girl replied.

"Me, too! This one's wicked strong!" Mirabelle responded. "We'd better check it out!"

With that said, the girls left Dorie's house and headed for the source of the mysterious energy.

Along the way, Dorie discovered a mysterious note addressed to three people she didn't know. _I'd better hold on to this,_ Dorie thought. _Maybe it belongs to the source of that odd energy..._

Meanwhile, somewhere in the park, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka came out of a portal of light, all fresh off of a victory over the insidious Trickmaster Heartless. The trio was clearly exhausted from the massive battle that had nearly demolished Alfea School.

"Man," Nick stated, wiping beads of sweat off of his forehead. "What was _up_ with that guy?"

"You're telling me?" Maylin replied, rummaging through her remaining spell coins. She'd used quite a few of them against the Trickmaster, only to find each spell ineffective (with the exception of the occasional Cure spell she'd used on her friends). "I can't believe my magic didn't work on that guy!"

"I'm glad Nick found its weak point before it cooked us for dinner," Haruka continued, balancing herself on Sweet Crest.

"Where are we now?" Nick asked, studying the new surroundings. "I'm still sensing magical energy... but this kind of signal seems different from the energy back at Alfea..."

"I believe this is Port Mystic," Haruka explained, having been to this world once before. "It's a bustling harbor town where people go about their daily lives, completely oblivious to the magical energy that surrounds them."

"Wow, Haruka, you seem to know a lot about these worlds," Maylin replied.

"I've been scouting these worlds for a while, just to make sure the Heartless didn't cause any trouble," Haruka replied. "Things have been pretty quiet until now. Still, I don't see any Heartless around..."

"Excuse me?"

The entrance of a new, much younger voice caught the trio's attention. They turned in their spots, setting their collective gazes on Dorie, Reanne, and Mirabelle.

Dorie walked up to Nick and asked, "Are your names Nick, Maylin, and Haruka?"

That got Nick in a defensive stance. "How do you know our names?" he asked, raising the Oathkeeper.

"I actually don't. I just found this letter on our way here, and it was addressed to three kids named Nick, Maylin, and Haruka," Dorie explained, handing Nick the letter.

Upon closer inspection, Nick exclaimed, "It's another one of those Ansem Reports!"

Maylin and Haruka walked closer to Nick and leaned over his shoulders so they could all read the new report.

"What's it say?" Haruka asked. Nick read aloud as Dorie and the others listened intently:

_Report #6_

_My choice to befriend darkness here in the midst of nothingness was a sound one._

_The moment I stared straight ahead with a calm heart, neither rejecting darkness nor fearing it, I gained a newfound power._

_A superhuman power--the power of darkness._

_It is likely Xehanort and the others were enraptured by this power, eventually becoming its prisoners._

_I do not intend to allow my heart to be devoured by the darkness as they did, of course._

_With this new power, I uncovered a "corridor of darkness" that connects the realm of nothingness to the outside world. While it is still difficult to come and go as I please, my banishment is now a thing of the past._

_To deceive Xehanort and my apprentices, I first used my power to change form before returning to the realm of light._

_As I suspected, Xehanort had become a Heartless._

_Under my name, he commanded other Heartless of many different worlds._

_At the center of the hearts Xehanort had stolen was "Kingdom Hearts," which attracts tremendous darkness to itself and attempts to send any and all matter back into its depths._

_The other five disappeared. Have they become Heartless, like Xehanort?_

_Or did they vanish after Xehanort exploited them?_

_I became familiar with an unusual "entity" while pursuing the truth._

_It is the soul and body that remain when a being loses its heart._

_When a Heartless is born, these entities disappear from the realm of light, to be reborn as entirely new beings in a completely different realm._

"Wow," Nick said after reading the last lines of the report.

"Do you know this Ansem guy?" Dorie asked.

"Um... you could say that," Maylin responded.

"And just what the heck is a 'Heartless', exactly?" Mirabelle asked.

As if to answer the young witchling's question, a bunch of Heartless appeared around them, mostly Neoshadows and Rapid Thrusters.

"Something like that," Nick responded, bringing out the Oathkeeper.

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(They say magic can't solve all of your problems. What if that was actually true?)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H._ in: "Key to Her Heart"  
This Chapter Completed: December 23, 2006  
World Exploration Theme: "Welcome to Wonderland"  
World Battle Theme: "To Our Surprise"  
Boss Battle Theme (Will): "Forze del Male"  
Summary: Today, our heroes head to Port Mystic, where they meet three young girls with incredible powers for their age. But, it also seems that someone very familiar to Nick is here as well...

_W.I.T.C.H._ is copyright SIP and Disney. _Magical DoReMi_ is copyright 4Kids Entertainment. This story copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger, 2006.

Author's Note: Sorry I took so long. I've been caught up in other stories, and I also want to make each chapter of _Key to Her Heart_ as long as I possibly can (my minimum is 3000 words).

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Installment #3: A Witchling's Desire (a.k.a. Do, Re, Mi! First Encounter With Will!)

"What the heck?" Dorie shouted, waving a mysterious baton-type thing at the nearest Neoshadow.

"They're what comes out of the darkness in people's hearts," Haruka replied, swinging Sweet Crest and batting away some Rapid Thrusters.

"You could say they're darkness made real," Maylin explained, leaping high into the air, spinning and dispatching another batch of Neoshadows.

"And they just keep coming, whatever they really are!" Reanne shouted, batting at another Neoshadow, only to be knocked to the ground by it.

By now, Nick had officially had just about enough. He drew the Golden Oathkeeper, and leaped directly into the center of the group of Heartless. Haruka and Maylin knew what was coming, so they backed away. Every single Heartless was vaporized once Nick's Trinity Limit had taken effect.

Unfortunately, yet more Neoshadows appeared. The group was quickly getting swarmed, until Dorie raised her baton in the air, spinning it around.

"_Cleansing rain on a sunny summer's day, make these stupid Heartless go far, far away!"_ Dorie chanted, her baton glowing with a pink light.

Responding to Dorie's command, her baton shot a sphere of light towards the group of Neoshadows. Once the bright ball of energy had struck its target, the new group of Neoshadows had seemingly vanished.

Nick gaped for a while. He'd never seen magic like _that_!

"Wow!" Haruka exclaimed, beating Nick to what he was about to say. "That was cool!"

"With magic like that, you must be a..." Maylin started to say before Haruka elbowed her companion hard.

"Watch it! You can't reveal the secret identity of a _you-know-what_ here," Haruka exclaimed. "It could mean trouble for them."

"Actually, it could mean trouble for _all_ of you," a familiar voice stated in a mocking tone.

Nick didn't need three guesses to figure out who that was. Brandishing the Oathkeeper, he turned around to face the corrupted Will, who was holding the Soul Eater in a fighting stance.

"I knew Icy couldn't take you out," Will noted.

"But you... _you_ could actually be a challenge for me, old friend," Nick stated, holding the Oathkeeper out towards his former friend.

"Shall we?"

"Gladly," Will exclaimed before charging for Nick with a mighty battle cry. Nick did the same, while the others, including the DoReMi gang, stood ready to back their friend up.

Will began the duel with a leaping overhead slash from the Soul Eater, which Nick quickly blocked with the Oathkeeper. Nick quickly countered with a horizontal whirlwind attack that caught Will up in the spinning wind and threw her against the side of a nearby building.

Recovering quickly, Will hopped back onto her feet and struck a short ways away, finishing the combo with a sliding attack that Nick was just barely able to dodge.

After that attack, Nick charged the Oathkeeper with his electric energy and rushed forward yet again. Will held up the Soul Eater in defense, but was caught off guard when Nick leaped over her instead of attacking. The second he landed, Nick struck the ground with the glowing Oathkeeper, sending a flurry of lightning bolts shooting for Will. The energy made contact and sent Will sprawling to the ground.

Nick began charging again, hoping to be able to finish this with one more strike.

However, he was surprised when the fallen Will reached out and grabbed his shirt, subsequently tossing him into the air. Getting back to her feet, she lashed out and slashed at Nick's side with the Soul Eater, knocking him far back. Grinning wickedly, Will readied her Soul Eater, ready to toss it like a spear.

Unfortunately for her, Nick had recovered pretty fast, and threw the Oathkeeper straight for Will, the spinning keyblade hitting its target and sending Will off balance.

Landing on his own feet, Nick called back the Oathkeeper and charged yet again. Will responded by energizing the Soul Eater with her newfound dark energy and swinging it rapidly for Nick, unleashing Soul Eater-shaped energy blades every time the former Keeper swung. Nick was able to deflect most of the blades, the Oathkeeper glowing a bright orange. Will, however, was expecting the attack, and jumped away before Nick could do any damage with the Ars Arcanum skill.

Suddenly, completely surprising Will, Nick performed an extremely high leap to the top of the nearest building. Will could only brace herself for what Nick was about to pull. Grinning brightly, Nick leapt off the building and fell downward, the Oathkeeper held out the whole time.

"What are you...?" Will started, but was quickly interrupted just as Nick teleported away just before he hit the ground. The red-haired dark warrior looked around frantically for her opponent, but to no avail.

It was at that moment that Nick made his move, reappearing at point-blank range, right in front of Will. Giving his former friend no chance to react, Nick slammed the Oathkeeper into the ground, causing a massive tremor that broke apart a good strip of the street from the point where Nick had struck, but not enough as to actually make it crumble to pieces. The force and suddenness of such an attack sent Will flying backwards, a good deal of damage dealt.

Unfortunately, it was not to last, as Will quickly recovered and charged back towards Nick yet again, dark electricity radiating from her feet with every step. Holding her free hand out towards her former friend, Will began gathering her powers into a sphere in her hands. Nick raised the Oathkeeper into a defensive stance just as Will expelled the power she'd collected in a searing blast of dark energy.

The energy ball flew for Nick at an unholy speed, but he was able to hold it back with the Oathkeeper, eventually swinging the mystic blade in another direction, which sent the dark energy sphere flying harmlessly into the sky.

Will had finally decided that it was time to get up close and personal, and lucky for her, Nick seemed to be thinking the same thing. Their blades met with a loud clang, only to have them pull back and strike again, this time with overhead swings. Nick quickly jumped back and tore forward with a horizontal slash, only to have it met midway through with a jumping strike from the Soul Eater. Will withdrew and lunged, but Nick quickly blocked it and struck back with a vicious spin attack.

Maylin, Haruka, and the DoReMi gang could only look on in pure amazement as Nick and Will traded attack after attack with ungodly accuracy and at nearly supersonic speeds. Dorie almost became dizzy from the pure, unadulterated speed that Nick and Will were dishing out their attacks at.

"You know, I'm actually having fun! I haven't had a good fight like this since we trounced those freaks from Organization XIII!" Will proclaimed, her ruby-red hair glistening with sweat received from the intense battle that was taking place.

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Nick replied, lashing out with another whirlwind attack.

_There's got to be some way I can get him to drop his guard. But what could it be?_ Will thought while dodging Nick's whirlwind spinning attack. She stole a glance at Dorie, Reanne, and Mirabelle, and suddenly, it hit her. _That's it!_

Just as Nick lunged for her with a jumping somersault attack, Will concentrated on her new dark powers and teleported away. A loud, high-pitched scream broke the sudden silence as Nick whipped around to see Will holding Dorie by the throat, the Soul Eater pointed precariously close to the witchling's neck.

"Don't come any closer, or the girl dies. That goes for all of you," Will explained, making good on her threat. Maylin, Haruka, Reanne, and Mirabelle could only stand there, too shocked to move.

Nick looked at Will, whose evil-looking eyes confirmed her threat. He couldn't believe that one of the best friend he ever knew could just let the darkness into her heart just like that! Something had to be wrong!

"Will, listen to yourself!" Nick pleaded, in hopes of reasoning with his former best friend. "This isn't like you! I would never believe that someone like you would let the darkness into her heart so easily!" Somehow, someway, Will's evil look turned to one of confusion as she contemplated what Nick was saying. "Come on, Will! Don't let the darkness control you! _You've got to fight it!!_"

Suddenly, Will regained her evil look. "No! I warned you! Now the girl is as good as dead!" Will shouted, looking back towards the helpless Dorie. Bringing the Soul Eater back, she quickly thrust the dark blade towards Dorie's neck.

"DORIE!!" the girls shouted.

Suddenly, time seemed to stop for Nick just before the Soul Eater made contact with the young witchling's neck. Curiously, he stared at the Oathkeeper, which was glowing with a pink light. Realizing what he needed to do, Nick charged forward.

Once he'd reached Will, he flipped over her, and relying quickly on his newfound power, slammed the glowing blade into Will's chest, knocking her back and making her drop the Soul Eater just in time. Dorie fell to the ground, feeling very lucky that she hadn't suffered any more than she almost had. Reanne and Mirabelle were over there almost instantly, making sure that Dorie was all right.

Maylin and Haruka, while tending to Dorie, kept their eyes on Nick and Will.

As she was flying back from the suddenness of Nick's attacks, said boy quickly teleported to her location, and delivering a powerful thrust with the Oathkeeper, sending Will crashing into the ground. Nick suddenly grabbed Will by her wrist and spun her around, throwing her high into the air. The Oathkeeper began glowing with a pink light again, only this glow was thicker and MUCH brighter. Nick thrust the Oathkeeper into the air, and a large series of energy bursts flew from the Oathkeeper's tip, each one pounding into Will and causing considerable damage.

Once the assault was over, a battered and bruised Will crashed to the ground, moaning in pain.

"I don't know what I have to do to get this fact through to you, Will," Nick noted as the wounded Will picked herself up and opened a dark portal back to Hollow Bastion. "Just come back, Will. I want you back on our side."

"Not a chance, kid. The darkness gives me all the power I'll ever need," Will explained. "We will meet again. And next time, you won't be so lucky."

With that, the injured Will walked as best she could through the portal. Once it had closed, a bright light formed in the sky. Nick looked up into the sky to see a swirl of energy forming the keyhole to Port Mystic.

Saying nothing, and as Dorie, Reanne, and Mirabelle watched in amazement, Nick aimed the Oathkeeper towards the keyhole. In an instant, dazzling display of color, Port Mystic was sealed off from the Heartless.

Another portal opened as soon as Nick finished sealing the keyhole, this one leading back to Traverse Town.

"Looks like Leon and the gang need us," Maylin noted.

"Let's go," Haruka said, spinning Sweet Crest in her hands.

Everyone walked through the portal, but Dorie stopped Nick before he could leave.

"Nick? I found this, and I think you should have it," Dorie explained in a soft voice, handing Nick another Ansem Report.

"Oh, thanks, Dorie," Nick replied before sitting on a nearby bench with Dorie and reading the report.

_Report #7_

_While beings born of darkness and those lacking hearts many find them convenient, it is dangerous for others to make such a use of the corridors of darkness. Darkness erodes the heart._

_In search of a place to proceed with my research and planning away from prying eyes, I found my self in "Twilight Town." It is a quiet village, forgotten in the chasm between light and darkness. I situated myself in the basement of an abandoned mansion standing beyond the woods._

_My underground research resulted in one new discovery after another._

_When a Heartless is born, the body and soul left behind are reborn into this world as a different being._

_They possess different intentions than their Heartless brethren, and while it is unclear what these sentient "things" are after, it would appear they are responsible for much bedlam in the world._

_My erstwhile friend the King and his subjects, along with a hero wielding the Keyblade, are battling the Heartless even as a new threat approaches._

_This new threat...they have given themselves a fitting name, I suppose._

_These non-beings: "Nobodies."_

_A great number of Nobodies have lost human form, as have the Heartless. Yet the Nobody born of someone with a strong heart retains its shape, with but the faintest visible changes._

_It appears my betrayers have retained their human forms as Nobodies, and are gathering more followers in hopes of furthering a new scheme._

"_Organization XIII," formed of 13 Nobodies with my betrayers at its core, has divided into two; they are said to be carrying out some sort of research._

_Seeking to uncover the plans of this Organization, I have decided to head for where six of its members have gathered. Towering over the outer limits of the realms between darkness and light: Castle Oblivion._

"Wow, this Ansem guy must be really smart," Dorie noted after Nick had finished reading the report.

"Yeah. People used to respect him a whole lot before he turned to the darkness," Nick replied.

"What happened with your friend back there?" Dorie asked, now genuinely interested in everything that was going on.

"She was tempted by the darkness, and she turned on us. I know the good side of her is still in there somewhere. If only I could get through to her..." Nick explained.

"Hey, Nick?"

"Yeah, Dorie?"

As soon as those words left Nick's mouth, Dorie leaned over and gave Nick a quick peck on the cheek. Nick instantly blushed like mad.

"That's thanks for saving me back there. I guess you have to go?" Dorie explained.

"I'll be back, Dorie. Once we get Will back with us, we'll come back to visit. I promise."

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Back at Hollow Bastion's Castle Chapel, a battered and bruised Will stumbled through the hallway that led towards the Grand Hall. "I don't believe it. I CAN'T believe it! I have the power of darkness on my side! HOW COULD I LOSE?"

Will was suddenly knocked back by a mysterious figure completely draped in black robes.

"Wait. I thought I took care of you Organization freaks!" Will shouted defensively, holding up the Soul Eater as best she could.

"Organization? No, my dear dark girl. I am from what rumor calls the Thirteenth Order," the mysterious cloaked man responded. "You wish to defeat that meddlesome boy, right? I can fulfill your inner darkness and give you powers even YOU never dreamed of."

Will looked up at the cloaked man.

"You've got a deal."

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Next time:

Chapter 4: Singing Party (a.k.a. It's Karaoke Night! Sealing Traverse Town!)

Things seem peaceful upon Nick and the gang's return to Traverse Town. In fact, Leon's gang is holding a karaoke party! Maylin seems excited, but is there a new Heartless running around?

Christmas Special: Holiday Memories (a.k.a. A Traverse Town Christmas! Flight of the Wreathmaster!)

Leon, Yuffie, and the entire gang of Traverse Town have seemingly forgotten everything about the winter season, Christmas included. After a thorough investigation, Nick and the gang find a decked-out holiday Heartless that's behind everything. Can they defeat this massive monster and restore Christmas to the inhabitants of Traverse Town?

See ya for now,  
S.P.D. Gold Ranger


	4. It's Finally Karaoke Night!

It was nighttime (around 2 o'clock) in Traverse Town.

Many people were just relaxing. Some were still out and about, doing late night shopping and whatnot.

Even a few newcomers had arrived through the corridors of darkness that appeared whenever a world was lost.

Our focus is now shifted to a hotel in the Second District. Nick and Haruka were relaxing in their room while Maylin was off on a screening of the town.

"Man, it's good to be able to relax for a while, huh, Nick?" Haruka asked Nick, who was laying on the other side of the bed that the three explorers were sharing.

"Yeah, especially after that duel I had with Will. I'm _exhausted_," Nick replied, gazing at the Oathkeeper keyblade that rested on the nearby dresser.

"I know. We all saw you going at it in Port Mystic. I had a bit of trouble keeping up with you two!" Haruka exclaimed. "You were all, like, CLANG and ZOOM! I couldn't believe that!"

"She packed one hell of a wallop, too. Those dark powers she's acquired must have enhanced her elemental powers AND her physical strength. She's gotta be one of the best fighters I've ever encountered, and that's saying a lot, considering some of the weirdoes we've faced," Nick explained.

"Like Nerissa and the Chasers?" Haruka wondered.

"Exactly. I'm guessing you knew all about them, since you're from Candracar?" Nick asked.

"Maylin and I aren't actually _from_ Candracar," Haruka explained. "We were just two girls who wielded Keyblades. The Oracle saw our potential and made us Guardians of Candracar. I instantly knew something in your world had gone horribly wrong when we found Heartless everywhere in the palace."

"There were _Heartless_ in Candracar?" Nick exclaimed.

"I think it started about the time Will made her turn to the darkness," Haruka replied to that statement. "Will's keyblade became the Dark Keyblade and disappeared. By then, Heatherfield's star was beginning to fade out, and..."

She stopped on a dime upon seeing tears beginning to form in Nick's eyes. _Wrong subject, Haruka! You know how much he misses his home and friends..._

Haruka reached over and patted Nick on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, Nick. I didn't mean to get you upset about your home..."

She was quickly interrupted when Nick lunged forward, throwing his arms around Haruka, crying his heart out. "It's not that, Haruka. One of the Guardians... she was my lover... And I made a promise to her that I'd always protect her. I feel like... like I failed her..."

Haruka was quite surprised by this sudden display of emotion. "Don't say that, Nick," she whispered soothingly, returning the embrace. "Things were beyond your control. There was no way you could have known before it was too late. We will find her, as well as the others. I promise you that."

Nick looked into Haruka's eyes... they were the same color as Irma's eyes...

"Thanks, Haruka. That means so much to me," Nick replied, settling into Haruka's embrace.

About ten minutes later, Haruka looked down at Nick. "Feeling better now?"

"Yeah, lots. Thank you so much, Haruka," Nick responded.

It was at that time that Maylin busted into the room, nearly out of breath. "Guys! Look what I found!"

With that, Maylin threw a piece of paper to Nick and Haruka, the former catching and reading it aloud.

_Report #3_

_Chaos affects not only this world, but many other worlds besides. _

_In the "Ansem Reports" my apprentice Xehanort had written under my name, I found the records of his hideous experiments along with his hypothesis about the door that had appeared out of the darkness in the basement. _

_All living things have hearts, and all hearts hold darkness deep within. _

_Worlds are no exception. If a world is a being, the heart it holds must be colossal... _

_...and the darkness at its core must be monstrous indeed. _

_Did Xehanort pass through that door in an attempt to contact that dark realm? _

_No, not only Xehanort. _

_It appears my other five apprentices, believing it was for the sake of research, stared deep into the darkness and were pulled into it. _

_Even, Ienzo, Blaig, Dilan, and Eleaus... _

_They have ceased to be human. _

_I, too, have had everything taken away from me, banished to a hollow realm of nothingness. _

_What is Xehanort hoping to gain with my pilfered existence? _

_Will my people cease to smile? _

_If the light of hope has been extinguished, I shall henceforth walk with darkness as a friend. _

_Here, in the realm of nothingness to which I have been relegated. _

_Darkness is the midst of nothing. _

"_Darkness in Zero." _

_Thus, I shall be known as DiZ._

"Another Ansem Report, huh?" Nick stated.

"That's not it! There's a karaoke party at the hotel in the Third District! Come on, COME ON!" Maylin shouted rather excitedly, grabbing Nick and Haruka and subsequently pushing them out of the door.

"What's Maylin so hyper about?" Nick asked.

"She's a karaoke fanatic. Always has been. She has one of the most beautiful singing voices I've ever heard!" Haruka replied.

"Oh, this should be good."

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(Music is the universal language. They say it can communicate with many people. Can it be used to vanquish evil?)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H. _in: "Key to Her Heart"  
This chapter: February 22nd, 2007  
Summary: Back in Traverse Town, Nick and friends are just relaxing for a while. Maylin even gets a chance to show off her love of karaoke! However, a new Heartless is lurking in the shadows, with the intent of ruining the party's good time.  
Note: SO SORRY for the long delay. I've been busy with a few joint stories with Mat49324, and we've been tied up on that front alone. Worse, my computer had to be redone as well, and I lost this chapter! DAMN IT! Also, I've decided to axe the Christmas special for now (I may eventually release it as a standalone story, but let's wait on that for now, okay?) I've also got a little surprise coming up in this chapter for you Will fans! One more quick thing: for this part of the story, I had to make the Third District a bit more elaborate, more like a shinier, more expansive version of the Second District. Okay?  
World Exploration Theme: "Traverse Town"  
Boss Battle Theme (Opposite Armor): "Destiny's Force"  
Maylin's Karaoke Night Song: "Hikari" from _Kingdom Hearts_

Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING of _W.I.T.C.H._ or any elements taken from _Kingdom Hearts. _The only stuff I own is my characters Nick, Maylin, and Haruka, as well as the plot of this story. Let's get on with this!

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Chapter 4: Singing Party (a.k.a. It's Karaoke Night! Sealing Traverse Town!)

The place that Nick and Haruka had been dragged to (courtesy of a rather hyper Maylin) was the Through the Night Hotel in Traverse Town's Third District, an elaborate inn that also housed a karaoke bar. Plastered on the wall beside the door was a sign that read: "BIG KARAOKE PARTY!! 5,000 MUNNY TO THE BEST SINGER!!"

"This is my big chance to show what I'm made of!" Maylin exclaimed. "You two ARE going to cheer me on, right?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't we?" Haruka replied.

"Good. You two find some seats, and watch for me on that stage. I'm gonna wow the pants off of all these would-be singers," Maylin stated before rushing off to sign up for the contest.

Nick stood there for a few seconds before taking a seat on a nearby leather couch. "Okay, I'm going to ask. What was _that_ all about?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Haruka explained, taking her seat next to Nick, two sodas in her hands. "Maylin gets a bit, um, what's the word... _competitive_ when it comes to karaoke. I saw her audition for the school play back in 4th grade, and she simply could not wait for her turn. When it was her turn, I swear to god, I've NEVER seen someone pushed off the stage so fast!"

Nick let out a laugh before gazing towards the karaoke stage, where another contestant was finishing up his song, which seemed to be a mix of rock and techno. The hotel owner came up, reading from a card in his hand.

"Thank you. That was _Never Turn Back,_ ladies and gentlemen. And now, our next singer from out of town, please welcome the lovely Maylin Rae!" the owner exclaimed as Maylin walked onto the stage, placing a CD in the karaoke machine. She looked out over the audience as they applauded, Nick and Haruka loudest of all.

"Thanks for letting me sing tonight, ladies and gentlemen," Maylin stated. "I'd like to sing a little something my mother sang to me when I was a little girl. I hope you enjoy it." With that, Maylin hit the PLAY button and her song began. The instant the first note came out of the speakers, her voice lifted to match the words she'd practiced for weeks.

_Donna toki datte  
__Tada hitori de  
__Unmei wasurete  
__Ikite kita no ni  
__Totsuzen no hikari no naka me ga sameru  
__Mayonaka ni_

"Wow, Haruka, you weren't kidding. Her voice is _beautiful!_" Nick exclaimed.

"Told ya," Haruka replied, keeping her gaze focused on Maylin.

_Shizuka ni deguchi ni tatte  
__Kurayami ni hikari o ute  
__Imadoki yakusoku nante fuan ni saseru dake kana  
__Negai o kuchi ni shitai dake sa  
__Kazoku ni mo shoukai suru yo  
__Kitto umaku iku yo_

_Donna toki datte  
__Zutto futari de  
__Donna toki datte  
__Soba ni iru kara  
__Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi o mitsukeru  
__Mayonaka ni_

Suddenly, the bar owner walked up to Nick and Haruka. "Is that your friend? The one singing? Because she is incredible!"

"That's what we told her," Nick and Haruka stated in unison.

_Urusai (When you turn my way) toori ni haitte  
__Unmei (Take it all the way) no kamen o tore  
__Sakiyomi no shisugi nante imi no nai koto wa yamete  
__Kyou wa oishii mono o tabeyou yo  
__Mirai wa zutto saki da yo  
__Boku ni mo wakaranai_

_Kansei sasenaide  
__Motto yokushite  
__WAN SHIIN zutsu totte  
__Ikeba ii kara  
__Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi no SHINARIO  
__Utsushidasu_

Nick noticed that the audience seemed to REALLY like Maylin's song, as everyone in the room was clapping their hands to the beat. Maylin waved to her new fans, not daring to miss a beat in her beautiful singing.

_Motto hanasou yo  
__Mokuzen no ashita no koto mo  
__TEREBI keshite  
__Watashi no koto dake o miteite yo_

_Donna ni yokuttatte  
__Shinji kirenai ne  
__Sonna toki datte  
__Soba ni iru kara  
__Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi o mitsukeru  
__Mayonaka ni_

_Motto hanasou yo  
__Mokuzen no ashita no koto mo  
__TEREBI keshite  
__Watashi no koto dake o miteite yo_

Once the song had ended, the audience's applause was rapturous, filling the karaoke bar with a noise that, to Nick, rivaled the cries of the Heatherfield Hooligans JV football fans back home. Maylin made a few bows before walking off the stage and taking her seat with Nick and Haruka.

"Well, what did you think?" Maylin asked her two traveling companions.

"You really DID wow them, Maylin. We're very impressed," Haruka stated straight out.

"Oh, thanks, you guys," Maylin replied, pulling Nick and Haruka into her embrace. "You're the best!"

"And now," the hotel owner announced, walking back onto the stage. "It's time to announce the winner of the contest."

"This is it!" Maylin exclaimed, crossing her fingers.

"The winner of the 6th Annual Through the Night Karaoke Contest is..."

No sooner had the hotel owner said that than a massive tremor shook the entire hotel, nearly causing many people to fall to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" Maylin exclaimed, materializing Chinese Spirit.

"Trouble," Haruka replied, standing up and materializing Sweet Crest. "Nick, you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Nick responded, shooting out of his seat. With one swift flick of his hand, the Oathkeeper keyblade materialized in his hands. A lot of the panicky people settled down when they noticed that Nick and his party had their keyblades out, shouting something about the Chosen Ones. In an instant, the three were out the door, ready to face the newest threat to Traverse Town.

Before Nick could exit as well, a peculiar someone caught his eye. He walked up to the person, who looked almost exactly like Will, save for the normal-seeming outfit. In an instant, he pointed the Oathkeeper straight for 'Will'. She gasped and almost fell out of her seat.

"Wait, wait! What did I do?" 'Will' shrieked, backing away from Nick and his keyblade. Suddenly, the Oathkeeper pulsed a bright pink when set in her general direction. Suddenly, Nick understood.

"You... you're her astral twin, aren't you?" Nick asked, lowering his keyblade.

"Figured it out, huh?" Astral Will noted.

"Thanks in part to the Oathkeeper. Say, how'd you escape? Didn't Will absorb you back into herself back then?" Nick asked.

"She did," Astral Will explained, "but when she made the turn to darkness, I got split from her and was left to fend for myself. Hoping I could find someone that could help me get my other self back to the side of good, I somehow made my way here through sheer force of will. I came here, looking for some time to relax."

"If you ARE Will's astral twin, I guess that means we could use your help," Nick stated, waving the Oathkeeper. "You coming or what?"

"Love to," Astral Will exclaimed, hopping out of her seat and materializing a keyblade that looked exactly like the original Will's Heart of Candracar keyblade save color (think yellow, green, and blue instead of pink, red, and silver). The words _Infinity Bullet_ ran through Nick's head.

"Let's go!" Astral Will shouted, rushing out the door towards the Second District, the source of the rumblings.

"By the by, did you think you should give me a name? Cause it may feel weird calling me Astral Will all the time," the astral twin explained.

Nick thought for a few seconds. "Got it! Your full name is Wilhelmina, right? And since 'Will' is already taken, how's about you take the other half?"

"Mina, huh?" the astral twin contemplated. "I like it. Good thinking."

Soon enough, Nick and Mina reached the Second District, where Haruka and Maylin were already facing off with a familiar foe: the Guard Armor!

"What the...? Didn't I destroy that thing?" Nick exclaimed, but his proclamation was soon halted when the Guard Armor fell to pieces with seemingly no provocation. As the party stood there confused, the Guard Armor suddenly began reforming itself, flipping its torso over and repositioning the arms and legs. It had transformed into the Opposite Armor!

"Okay, THAT'S a new one!" Maylin exclaimed, drawing a Thundara spell coin and shouting the very same word as she struck the coin with Chinese Spirit. The letters on the coin blazed as the spell took effect, summoning a large lightning bolt that struck and destroyed the left leg of the Opposite Armor.

As Mina began wailing on the monster's torso, she noticed that the blasted thing wasn't regenerating itself like last time.

"That's a relief," Mina noted just as the Opposite Armor fired a pair of lasers from its eye sockets. Mina quickly deflected them both with Infinity Bullet.

"The Guard Armor couldn't pull that one off before!" Maylin exclaimed, firing wave after wave of Fire spells for the Opposite Armor, only to have none of them make even a scratch on the massive Heartless. "Something's way wrong here!"

"You're telling me?" Haruka replied, rapidly throwing the spinning Sweet Crest for the Opposite Armor. "We've got to pinpoint the source of the transformation! Maybe then we can defeat this thing once and for all!"

"Then let me step up," Mina proclaimed, Infinity Bullet held proudly, "and I'll show you why they call me the Astral Derrière."

Mina concentrated on the elemental power she'd acquired from being Will's astral twin and charged it into her keyblade. Holding it out towards the Opposite Armor and closing her eyes, Mina began twirling around like a maniac, discharging an insane amount of quintessence energy beams from her spinning form, each and every burst of energy homing in on and causing considerable damage to the Opposite Armor.

Once that was over with, all that was left of the Opposite Armor was the torso and head. This time, Nick wasn't going to let the thing get a chance to regenerate itself, so he began floating in the air, glowing a radiant sapphire as he had last time, against the Guard Armor.

"_Shining Star Strike!_" Nick chanted before disappearing in a rapid streak of light, rapidly attacking the Opposite Armor with every pass he made before landing right in front of the downed Heartless.

"Well, well, doesn't this bring back memories?" Nick stated before, again, driving the glowing Oathkeeper straight into the head of the Opposite Armor, causing it to break up into little pieces until it finally dissolved, its glowing heart floating into the sky.

"Well, that's that," Nick stated, resting the Oathkeeper on his shoulder.

"Now that that's over, could someone introduce me to our new friend?" Haruka asked, motioning towards Mina.

"That's Will's astral twin," Nick explained. "I decided to call her Mina. Looks like we've got another traveling companion."

"And just in time, too. Look!" Mina exclaimed, pointing to the pond at the square. On the mural of the town's history, a shining keyhole had revealed itself.

Saying nothing else, the kids pointed their keyblades for the keyhole, and in a flashy display, quickly sealed it.

As soon as the keyhole was locked, a portal appeared behind the party, leading to yet another world being invaded by the Heartless.

"Let's do this," Nick stated.

"Wait just a damn minute!" Maylin exclaimed. "I KNOW I won that contest! What about my prize munny?"

"I told the hotel owner to put your munny on hold. We'll come back for it soon enough," Nick explained, dragging Maylin into the portal. "Now COME ON!"

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All right! The team's got a new companion! Until next time! And trust me, no matter how long you may be forced to wait, I WILL get this story finished!

Next time:

Chapter 5: Steel Angel City (a.k.a. Kurumi, Kurumi! It's Steel Angel Madness!)

Nick and the party head to Taishou Era Japan, where they meet a boy who has a beautiful android girl catering to his every whim. Plus, we finally meet the enigmatic Thirteenth Order...


	5. It's Just Steel Angel Madness!

In Taishou Era Japan (circa, about 1920), things seem to be peaceful.

As we look to the packed streets, we can see a boy of about 12 being dragged towards the beach by a pink-haired woman wearing a crazy maid's uniform. You can clearly see that the boy is blushing about being so close to the girl.

"Kurumi, we don't have to be there for another five hours! Why are you dragging me to the beach RIGHT NOW?" the boy asked while struggling against the girl's hold.

"Because, Master, I want to get the best seats for the fireworks! Now come on!" Kurumi replied, just in time for a flying sheet of paper to smack her in the face.

"Huh? What's this?" Kurumi asked, taking a good look at the paper that had just hit her.

"What's it say, Kurumi?" the boy asked, now interested.

"That's odd. It says, '_Give this to the one called Hay Lin.'_ Weird. Master, do we know someone with that name?"

"I don't think so. What's the note say?" the boy responded.

Kurumi began reading the note.

_Report #4_

_The distant days spent in that beautiful paradise are an illusion to me now. _

_How long have I been here, banished to the realm of nothingness? _

_It is only by relying upon my anger and hatred that I have been able to retain my sense of self here, where all existence is nullified. _

_My heart is being overcome with hatred toward my apprentices, possessed by the darkness, and with the anger I feel for stupidly allowing myself to be betrayed. _

_Is this darkness, eating away at my heart? _

_I cannot continue to idle away my time here. _

_What are Xehanort and the others attempting to do? _

_I must unravel the mystery of these Ansem Reports, intercept my apprentices, and defeat them. _

_That is my mission... the only way to repay the world for my sins. _

_Those beings who lack hearts — the Heartless — must be the key. _

_The darkness of the heart, made flesh. Cursed shadows who not only lack hearts, but multiply by seizing hearts from any and all living things. _

_Where have they come from, and where are they going? _

_Three elements combine to create life: a heart, a soul, and a body. _

_But what of the soul and body left behind when the heart is lost? _

_When the soul leaves the body, its vessel, life gives way to death, but what about when the heart leaves? _

_A being does not perish when its heart leaves its body. The heart alone disappears into the darkness. _

_There is little time. _

_If I remain in this realm much longer, I will certainly learn these answers the hard way. _

_My heart is already a captive of the darkness._

"I don't think I know this Ansem guy. Do you, Master?"

"Not really... hey, what's happening down at the beach?"

That caught Kurumi's attention. She looked over Nakahito's shoulder towards the beach: she could see bolts of lightning and gusts of wind flying all over.

"We'd better go check this out!" Kurumi exclaimed, picking up Nakahito and jumping across buildings to get to the battle site and fast.

Down on said beach, two girls were fighting it out. The first girl, an Asian girl of about 16 with two long, black pigtails, was directing numerous gusts of wind towards the second girl, who was covered completely in silver robes, except for two visible bangs of yellow hair sticking out of the hood. The robed girl was summoning bolts of lightning to attack the pigtailed girl, who nimbly dodged, using the element of nature that she controlled.

"Well, Hay Lin, you seem to be putting up a good fight," the robed girl stated, which got Hay Lin into a tizzy.

"I'm not in the mood for this right now! I'm trying to find my friends!" Hay Lin shouted, creating a giant ball of wind with her own hands. Not waiting for her chance, she sent the sphere flying for the robed girl.

As the other girl dodged Hay Lin's air sphere attack, she looked towards the town.

"Ah... so the chosen ones have finally arrived..."

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(Okay. I'm ready. Let's start this thing up again!)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.i.t.c.h.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: April 5th, 2007  
Note: Man, where does the time go? Sorry if it's been a while, guys. It's my last year in high school, and they're giving me enough homework as it is. Now that I'm on Spring Break, though, I have lots more free time to get to work on this story.  
Summary of Today's Episode: Nick and the party head to Taishou Era Japan, where they meet a boy who has a beautiful android girl catering to his every whim. Plus, we finally meet the enigmatic Thirteenth Order, and a familiar Nobody demands a rematch...  
World Exploration Theme: "A Very Small Wish"  
World Battle Theme: "An Adventure in Atlantica"  
Boss Battle Theme (Thirteenth Order XII): "Struggle Away" from _Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories  
_Absent Silhouette Battle (Zexion): "The 13th Reflection" from _Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+_

_W.I.T.C.H. _and _Kingdom Hearts_ are copyright Disney and Square Enix. I own nothing of either except my created characters. _Steel Angel Kurumi_ is copyright ADV Films.

Quick Author's Note: The battle against Zexion in this chapter is part of the "Absent Silhouette" battles in _Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix+_, where you'd fight the Organization members that died in _Chain of Memories. _And Hay Lin fans are probably going to hate me by the end of this chapter...

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Chapter 5: Only One Master For Me (a.k.a. Kurumi, Kurumi! It's Just Steel Angel Madness!)

Back in town, a portal opened, and four teenagers exited. Nick, Haruka, Maylin, and Mina had just come from Traverse Town after a karaoke night. As you could probably tell, Maylin was pretty angry.

"Hey! I told you, I won that contest fair and square! WHERE'S MY PRIZE?" Maylin shouted, angrily swinging her Chinese Spirit keyblade. The Chinese girl was referring to her prize munny that she'd won at Traverse Town's Through the Night Karaoke Contest.

"For the thousandth time, Maylin, the hotel owner said he'd hold on to your prize until we got back!" Haruka shot back, officially at her limit. She and Maylin shared a close, sisterly bond, but they had a tendency to get on each other's nerves at times, just like real siblings. Mina just stared on, a little scared.

"Girl, my patience is officially at its limit! I DEMAND that you take me back to Traverse Town, RIGHT NOW!"

"Does it look like I care?" Haruka shouted, raising her Sweet Crest keyblade. "We have worlds to save, you know!"

"I KNOW! BUT THAT WAS MY PRIZE! I SANG THE SONG!!"

"Knock it off! BOTH of you!" Nick shouted, his patience officially running dry. He materialized the Oathkeeper and stuck it between the two bickering girls. Both Maylin and Haruka instantly stopped, the anger draining away.

"Look," Nick explained. "I know you won that prize fair and square, Maylin - and that song was WONDERFUL - but we'll get it later. I promise. Right now, the worlds are calling us. We have a duty as both Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions AND the bearers of the Keyblade. Let's take care of that before we get to the trivial matters. Okay?"

There was silence for a few seconds. Maylin smiled.

"Didn't expect YOU to be the type to wax philosophical, Nick," Maylin replied with a small giggle.

"I guess it comes with the territory," Nick replied.

Suddenly, Haruka noticed what appeared to be a thunderstorm over by the beach. "Guys? Why is there a storm at the beach?"

That caught Nick's attention. As he stared at the mysterious weather pattern, he let out a gasp of shock.

"That's no thunderstorm, girls! Take a look at those wind patterns!" Nick explained. "I'd recognize that kind of wind anywhere. That's GOT to be Hay Lin!"

"We'd better move it, then!" Mina exclaimed, raising her Infinity Bullet keyblade and charging forward. The others did the same.

However, a mysterious black orb with the symbol of a book appeared in front of Nick and Mina, and before they could react, the two were pulled into it.

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When Nick could see again, he noticed that they were in a small arena that looked like it belonged in Castle Oblivion.

"Are we back in Castle Oblivion?" Mina asked. Apparently, Mina had kept all of Will's memories when the two had split.

"Not sure, but I'm getting this bad feeling," Nick replied, holding Oathkeeper in a fighting stance.

The two heard the sound of a book snapping shut caught the two keybearers' attention. Nick turned around and noticed someone in a black hood standing there.

"Zexion! Didn't I take care of you already?" Nick shouted.

Zexion simply smiled.

"LOOK OUT!!" Mina shouted, tackling Nick out of the way of a rather sharp piece of paper that had flown right at them. Nick noticed that Zexion was using his book, of all things, to attack them.

"This is crazy! I already defeated the Organization!" Nick exclaimed. "I even sealed the door to Castle Oblivion so they couldn't come back!"

Zexion didn't say a word, opting to let his actions speak for themselves. More razor-sharp pages came flying for Nick and Mina, but this time, they were ready, slicing through each page that came at them with their keyblades.

With a mighty battle cry, Nick charged for Zexion, bringing out his other keyblade, Fatal Crest. Not giving Zexion a chance to attack, Nick began slamming his keyblades into the Cloaked Schemer over and over. Nick finished the spectacular combo with a spinning attack that knocked Zexion clear across the room.

Zexion quickly picked himself up and flung more sharp pages for the two bearers of the key.

Nick's patience was now officially at its limit. He charged forward like an all-star slugger going for the game-winning hit, keyblade at the ready. Once he'd reached Zexion, Nick began circling at high speeds around Zexion, leaving him confused. The Oathkeeper began leaving gleaming after-images in its wake. Zexion didn't have a chance; he was literally sucked right into the path of Nick's keyblade as he sliced it through the air. The force of the impact sent Zexion sprawling to the floor.

Deciding that enough was enough, Nick raced forward one more time, propelling himself off of Mina's shoulders. Quickly aiming his keyblade for Zexion, Nick cast a Magnet spell that drew the Cloaked Schemer towards him. In a flash, Nick delivered the finishing blow by driving the Oathkeeper straight through Zexion.

Once Zexion had taken the final blow, he simply stood there for a while, Nick and Mina in a battle-ready stance just in case. Zexion spoke two words:

"Good job."

With that, Zexion disappeared, leaving behind only a glowing orb that resembled the one that brought the two here. Almost instantly, before either Nick or Mina had a chance to ask, they were warped out of the mysterious arena.

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As Maylin and Haruka rushed to the battle scene, along the way, they ran into Kurumi, who was still carrying Nakahito.

"Excuse me, miss?" Maylin asked Kurumi. "What's going on down at the beach?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Kurumi responded. "I'm going down there to check it out. You two wanna come with me?"

"Yeah. I'm worried about my friends down there," Haruka noted.

"Then let's hurry!" Kurumi shouted, and together, the three girls ran towards the nearby beach.

Suddenly, a shadowed figure carrying a black sword fell from the sky.

"WILL!" Maylin and Haruka shouted.

"Who?" Kurumi asked in confusion.

"Exactly," Will stated, brandishing the Soul Eater.

Before Will could strike, however, she noticed something down at the beach. "Ah. So the Air Guardian finally awakened. That won't last long."

With that, Will vanished in a dark aura.

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Back on the beach of Taishou Era, Japan, Hay Lin was still fighting the silver-cloaked woman, and it seemed like her luck was running out.

"You cannot win against the likes of me, you miserable air Guardian. Your powers are nothing without the Heart of Candracar," the robed girl noted as she flung more lightning bolts for Hay Lin. The last one finally hit its intended target, knocking the weakened Hay Lin to the ground.

_As much as I hate to admit it, I think that girl's right,_ Hay Lin thought to herself. She still had her power over air, but it wouldn't be strong enough without the Heart of Candracar, corrupted as it was now.

"I may need some help," Hay Lin noted to herself as the silver-cloaked girl approached her, kunais held out in what appeared to be a deathblow.

"You want help, you've got it!" Nick's voice rang out from above. Hay Lin looked up in amazement; Nick was up there, the Oathkeeper held high. With a mighty battle cry, Nick dropped from the sky and brought his keyblade crashing down on the silver-robed woman. Once the Oathkeeper made contact, the robed lady was sent flying.

Taking no more chances, Nick rushed forward as the robed lady began falling back to the ground. Raising his keyblade, Nick did an acrobatic twirl, extending the Oathkeeper as he did so. This twirl created a series of circular slashes that knocked the silver-robed lady far back. However, she landed on her feet, finally letting her hood drop to reveal Larxene, of all people.

"And no, I'm not who you think I am," the Larxene look-alike stated, before Nick, Mina, or Hay Lin could even ask. "No one mocks the Thirteenth Order and lives."

And with that, the robed lady disappeared in a flash of silver stars.

Once everything had settled down, Nick rushed up to Hay Lin, and took her hands into his own.

"Hay Lin! Oh, my god, how'd you get here? I was so worried about you guys!" Nick exclaimed.

"I really have no clue, Nick," Hay Lin responded. "All of a sudden, Will attacked, took Irma, and then you disappeared along with Heatherfield. I traveled from world to world trying to find you and the others!"

"The Heartless are back," Nick stated quite simply. "And Will's turned to the dark side, though I'm sure you know that. We have to find a way to snap her out of it!"

"You know, I bet that if we can find out who or what caused her to betray us, we may be able to get Will back," Hay Lin noted.

"Not without your heart, you won't."

Neither Nick nor Hay Lin had a chance to ask; all they felt was a rush of air before Hay Lin stumbled forward, clutching her chest in pain. Nick could easily see why: Will had just run Hay Lin through with the Soul Eater.

As Will retracted the dark weapon, Hay Lin fell to her knees. Nick had already brandished the Oathkeeper. "What was that for, Will?" Nick shouted.

"What does it look like?" the red-headed dark warrior responded. "I need some powerful hearts if we're going to complete our plan. And this girl's heart is as powerful as they come."

"Plan? What plan?" Nick interrogated. "And who's 'we'?"

"I'm not going to tell _you_," Will shot back. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a mission to complete."

Saying nothing more, Will disappeared in a swirl of dark energy before Nick could react, taking Hay Lin's extracted heart with her.

Just as Will disappeared, Maylin, Haruka, Mina, and Kurumi came rushing to the scene.

"Nick! What happened down here?" Maylin quickly asked, but stopped short when she noticed that Nick wasn't responding.

"Nick? Is something wrong?" Haruka asked.

Nick only said four words...

"She got Hay Lin..."

"What?" Kurumi asked.

"Will took Hay Lin's heart," Nick explained. "She said that she needs powerful hearts to complete some kind of plan. I... I couldn't save Hay Lin in time..."

Kurumi was the first to notice that Nick had begun to cry, and was the first to offer up some comfort, placing her hand on Nick's shoulder.

"It's okay," Kurumi said in a soothing voice. "If it's any consolation, I nearly lost one of my friends, too. We'll get her back. I promise, okay?"

"Thanks," Nick replied, wiping a few tears from his eyes.

All of a sudden, the group was jumped by a massive gathering of Heartless, mostly Neoshadows and Armored Knights.

"Where did _they_ come from?" Maylin asked, swinging Chinese Spirit.

Nick, however, was in no mood for it. Drawing back Oathkeeper, he performed a massive leap into the air, his Keyblade glowing a bright gold. Wasting no more time, Nick came down from his flight and slammed the Oathkeeper into the ground, emitting a shockwave that quickly and mercilessly dispatched all of the Heartless.

Mina looked on, very surprised. Nick had never been THAT angry before...

As Nick settled down, he noticed something forming in the sky. Looking upwards, he noticed a swirl of rainbow stars forming the keyhole to Taisho Era, Japan. Raising his keyblade, Nick quickly fired a beam of light from the Oathkeeper that locked the keyhole, thus protecting this world from the Heartless.

As he lowered the Oathkeeper, Nick felt a pulse shoot through him – a pulse that felt very familiar. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his Drive orb, which was glowing a bright strawberry pink – a glow that became brighter when pointed in Haruka's general direction.

"What is that, Nick?" Maylin asked out of curiosity.

"My Drive Form orb," Nick explained, since Maylin and Haruka had obviously never seen any of Nick's Drive Forms yet. "I can use this orb to absorb the power of one or more of my friends and fuse with them to gain some incredible powers."

"Why is it glowing my color?" Haruka asked.

"I think I may have discovered a new Drive Form," Nick noted just as Haruka was enveloped in an aura of the same strawberry light as Nick's Drive orb.

"Hey, what's happening?" Haruka exclaimed, visibly freaked out.

"Just relax, Haruka," Nick stated. "Focus, and concentrate. Okay?"

Haruka nodded, calming herself down and closing her eyes.

"Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!" Nick called out, throwing his arms out as silver light exploded from his very being. Soon enough, Haruka had disappeared from sight.

Mina, Maylin, and Kurumi watched in amazement as the light coming from Nick formed a sort of cocoon around him. A few seconds later, the cocoon of light opened, and out came Nick...

...but he was very different.

His street clothes had changed to an outfit similar to Sora's, with silver and strawberry pink linings. His eyes had shifted from tree-brown to Haruka's sapphire blue, and he was wielding two keyblades – Oathkeeper in his left hand, and Sweet Crest in his right. Electricity seemed to radiate from his hands all the way around his keyblades.

"Cool," was all Maylin could say.

"Like it?" Nick stated. Whenever Nick spoke, it sounded like both he and Haruka were talking at the same time. "A lot of my Drive Forms allow me to wield two or more keyblades. Makes it that much harder for our enemies to take care of me."

Soon after Sweet Form Nick finished speaking, a portal opened behind them.

"What's that?" Kurumi asked.

"Other worlds are calling. We've got to go," Mina explained. "We can't let Will OR the Heartless take anymore hearts."

"Will you be back?" Kurumi asked.

"As soon as we find Will and get her back on our side," Sweet Form Nick stated.

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NEW FORM!!

Sweet Form  
Partner: Haruka  
Focus: physical strength, quick attacks  
Keyblades: Two  
Special Abilities: Sweet Strike (cross attack finisher), Sweet Rush (rushing strike finisher), Sweet Spinner (aerial tornado attack finisher)Advancing Form Ability: Strike Dash (performs a Quick Run-style forward dash, attacking any enemies in your way)

Told you guys I'd bring in the new forms soon enough! Anyways, Nick's new form, Sweet Form, is the _Key to Her Heart_ equivalent of Valor Form, focusing on physical strength and quick attacks. Its Advancing Form Ability, Strike Dash, is a quick, fast Quick Run-style forward dash where Nick's keyblades spin around him, attacking anyone unlucky or foolish enough to get in his way.

Next time:

Chapter 6: Fall of Proto Merkabah (a.k.a. How Do You Stop a Psycho? Don't Let the Gnosis Through!)

Nick and the gang head to a world far in the future, where mysterious aliens attack without mercy. What could be the trouble here? And who is this psycho character?


	6. How Do You Stop a Psycho?

Proto Merkabah: a massive, ancient space station.

It was abandoned many years ago due to accidents during the creation of a special Realian.

Now, mysteriously, the dormant station has been revived by someone of evil intent, hoping to crash it into the planet below...

However, a group of brave people have entered the space station, hoping to stop the evil freak responsible for re-awakening Proto Merkabah...

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Meanwhile, somewhere deep in Proto Merkabah's storage hangar, a glowing blue portal opened, and Nick, Maylin, Haruka, and Mina exited, their respective keyblades resting on their shoulders.

"Who do you think that chick in the silver robe was?" Maylin asked, referring to the battle they'd been tangled up in at the last world they'd visited.

"She looked like Larxene," Mina replied. "Do you think she's with Organization XIII?"

"I'm not so sure about that," Nick responded, twirling the Oathkeeper in his hands. "She said something about the Thirteenth Order before she disappeared. I've never heard of them before."

"She fought just like Larxene does," Mina noted, "which reminds me..."

Mina never got a chance to explain about her and Nick's encounter with Zexion, because at that very second, four or five massive, translucent monsters dropped down from seemingly out of nowhere.

"What the?" Maylin exclaimed, bringing out Chinese Spirit. Not wasting a second, she drew one of her spell coins. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!!"

As Maylin struck the coin with her keyblade, the letters blazed as the spell took effect, dropping numerous lightning bolts onto the monsters.

However, Maylin let out a gasp of surprise when she saw that her magic didn't affect these monsters in any way.

"Just what are these things?" Maylin asked. "They seem too strong to be Heartless, and I haven't seen any Nobodies since we left Traverse Town!"

"Well, I'm not sticking around to find out!" Nick shouted, raising Oathkeeper and charging for the first monster, a creature with a gigantic body and powerful arms.

With a mighty battle cry, Nick struck with the Oathkeeper...

...only to find that the monster hadn't even taken any damage!

"Okay, I think we may have a problem here," Nick noted, just barely dodging a powerful punch from the monster he'd just attacked.

"It doesn't seem like anything we do can faze these freaks!" Haruka stated, throwing Sweet Crest towards one of the bug-looking creatures in a Strike Raid fashion, only to have it batted away.

Just as the creatures surrounded the party, they all heard someone shouting out a command.

"KOS-MOS! Activate Hilbert Effect!"

Things were silent for a couple seconds until all of a sudden, a field of aquatic blue energy enveloped the entire surrounding area, blinding Nick and the girls for a few seconds. When the light cleared, Nick looked back at the monsters: they were no longer translucent!

Just to make sure of it, Nick held his keyblade into the air and shouted, "THUNDER!!" Sure enough, a series of lightning bolts struck the monster he'd targeted, and this time, they actually did damage!

"Whatever just happened, I think we can take care of them now!" Nick shouted, charging for another creature. One quick strike, and that monster was gone.

Mina tossed her Infinity Bullet keyblade into the air and summoned the powers of energy she'd attained from being Will's astral double. As the mysterious monsters closed in, Mina caught her keyblade and thrust it towards the monsters. All the energy she'd collected dispersed itself, slamming into each of the creatures in turn until they were defeated.

As the battle raged on, Nick noticed that one of the monsters was running away. "Oh, no you don't!" Nick shouted, focusing on the Oathkeeper. Raising it into the air, he shouted "GATHER!" With that, the escaping monster was caught in a magnetic field that was surrounding Nick. Nick threw his hand out, thus dispersing the magnetic field and sending the monster flying. Not taking any more chances, Nick threw his keyblade towards the monster, piercing through it. Once the last one was gone, Nick called the Oathkeeper back to his grip.

"Wow, that was a close one," Maylin stated, catching her breath.

"What I want to know is who helped us out?" Haruka asked, twirling Sweet Crest.

"That would have been us."

Everyone turned on the spot and noticed two girls standing a short ways away. One of them had long, brown hair (just like Haruka), was wearing an orange, yellow, and blue uniform, and was carrying a silver and black, shield-type weapon strapped to her wrist.

The second girl was clad in white and silver armor, with long, flowing blue hair and pure ruby red eyes.

"Wow, thanks, you two," Nick stated, walking up to the two newcomers. "If you hadn't done what you did, we'd probably be toast."

"It's no problem, really," the brown-haired girl replied. "By the way, I'm Shion Uzuki, and this is KOS-MOS."

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(The future isn't set in stone. To live a life of power, the first thing you must do is find courage. You must be ready to reach beyond the boundaries of time itself. And to do that, all you need is the will to take that first step...)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: April 19th, 2007  
Summary of Today's Episode: Nick and the gang head to a world far in the future, where mysterious aliens attack without mercy. What could be the trouble here?  
World Exploration Theme: "Dive Into the Heart Destati"  
World Battle Theme: "Fragments of Sorrow" from _Kingdom Hearts II  
_Nobody Ambush Theme: "Tension Rising"  
Boss Battle Theme (Albedo): "Vim and Vigor"  
Boss Battle Theme (Ein Rugel): "The Corrupted"  
Absent Silhouette Battle (Marluxia): "The 13th Reflection" from _Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+_

Disclaimer: I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I don't own _W.I.T.C.H._ or _Kingdom Hearts._ They belong to Disney, Square Enix, and Buena Vista Games. _Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht_ is copyright Monolith Soft and Namco. Nick, Maylin, and Haruka are my characters and thus belong to me, so no using them in your stories unless you have my permission.

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Chapter 6: The Fall of Proto Merkabah (a.k.a. How Do You Stop a Psycho? Don't Let the Gnosis Through!)

"Wow, I've never seen anything like this," Maylin stated in awe, taking in all the sights of the futuristic technology that lay before the party.

"So you're saying that those 'Gnosis', as you call them, have been terrorizing the universe for a while now?" Nick asked Shion as she explained everything that had been going on recently.

"Yes. That's why Vector designed KOS-MOS," Shion responded. "She was designed as our special weapon to combat the Gnosis before they destroy any more planets."

"Speaking of which, why couldn't I even scratch those Gnosis when they were all transparent?" Nick wondered.

"That's because they exist in a realm opposite our own," Shion explained. "KOS-MOS is equipped with a special generator that activates the Hilbert Effect, a wave of energy that draws the Gnosis into our realm. That way, we can deal with them more effectively."

Suddenly, a group of Heartless appeared right in front of the party, causing Nick, Maylin, and Haruka to materialize their keyblades and Shion to activate her M.W.S.

"More Gnosis?" Shion asked, never having seen creatures like these before.

"No. They're Heartless," Nick explained, Oathkeeper at the ready. "They're basically the darkness in people's hearts, who desire for a heart of their own. That's why they attack anyone with even a hint of darkness in their hearts."

"You'd better stand back, Shion," Maylin noted. "We'll clean up here."

Nick was the first to go on the offensive, charging forward and cutting straight through a couple Neoshadows. A group of Rapid Thrusters flew for the trio, but were easily dispatched by Maylin.

"Hey, Shion, you up for a tag-team?" Nick exclaimed to Shion.

"I'd be delighted," Shion replied, charging up her M.W.S.

As a Bolt Tower began spinning around like crazy, Shion raised her M.W.S., which was crackling with electric energy. "_Lightning Blast!!_" Shion shouted, slamming the M.W.S. into the Bolt Tower, easily stunning it. Nick took this as his opportunity, performing a graceful leap over Shion and striking with Oathkeeper. Nick slashed through the Bolt Tower a few more times with deadly speed, finishing the combo with a sonic pulse attack that easily dispatched the Bolt Tower.

Meanwhile, KOS-MOS was helping out Maylin and Haruka with a series of Devastators. The blue-haired android had turned her right hand into some sort of blade and literally made mincemeat of the Devastators.

Maylin drew a spell coin from her pocket and tossed it into the air. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! FORCE!" As the coin came back down, Maylin struck it with Chinese Spirit. As the coin shined, a large purple orb descended on a group of Magnum Loaders, quite literally flattening them. Haruka took her chance and threw Sweet Crest straight for the flattened Heartless, easily taking care of them.

Just as Nick was about to deliver the finishing blow to another Bolt Tower, he was jumped by a mysterious creature in white that had a zipper for a mouth.

"What the...?" Maylin asked, wondering who the new arrival was. Suddenly, the party was completely surrounded by the white creatures.

"Nobodies!" Nick shouted. "Where'd they come from?"

"I'd rather not know," Shion responded, waving her hand out. A mysterious text appeared out of nowhere that Shion quickly loaded into her M.W.S. She held it out towards the Nobodies, and an aquatic blue glyph circle surrounded her.

"_Spell Ray!!_" With that call, Shion's M.W.S. fired a massive blue energy beam that tore through a row of Dusks.

Tilting herself in a circle, Shion directed the Spell Ray through the crowd of Nobodies until each and every one had been destroyed.

Once the Nobodies were gone, a mysterious black-and-white orb appeared in front of the party – one that clearly resembled the one that Nick and Mina had run into back in Kurumi's world.

"Another Absent Silhouette?" Mina asked.

"Only one way to find out," Nick responded, walking into the orb, Shion following.

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Coming out of the orb, Nick and Shion stood face-to-face with another Organization XIII member – one that was carrying a massive pink scythe.

"Let me guess," Nick stated. "Marluxia, right?"

Marluxia nodded. "Good guess."

The Graceful Assassin swung his scythe straight for Nick and Shion, who were just barely able to dodge it. Nick noticed that Marluxia's scythe got stuck in the ground whenever he tried a direct attack. Taking his chance, Nick charged for Marluxia.

Reacting quickly, the Graceful Assassin raised his scythe and slashed at Nick, who easily dodged it. Spinning the Oathkeeper in his hand, Nick rapidly attacked Marluxia, ending with a spiral cut that sent the Graceful Assassin flying.

Regaining his balance quickly, Marluxia began teleporting around, making it hard for Nick and Shion to follow his movements.

Completely out of nowhere, Marluxia appeared right in front of Nick and struck. At such point-blank range, Nick couldn't react in time, and was knocked into the air, where Marluxia continued his relentless attack.

Just as Marluxia was about to deal the finishing blow, he was knocked back by a Spell Ray from Shion.

Nick was able to land safely, his wounds from Marluxia's surprise ambush evident. Shion held her hand out towards Nick and began glowing with a mysterious golden light. "Open Ether circuit!"

As soon as those words left Shion's mouth, Nick was surrounded by a bright aqua blue glow. When the light dispersed, his wounds were completely healed.

"Thanks, Shion."

"No problem."

Nick suddenly heard Marluxia shouting from close by. Nick turned around just in time to see Marluxia slamming the ground with his scythe, creating a trio of dark energy circles on the floor.

"What's he up to?" Nick wondered. As if to answer his query, the energy began erupting in geysers all over the arena. Nick quickly began running, batting away a few geysers with the Oathkeeper.

Once the onslaught was over, Nick looked around for Marluxia, only to find nothing. Shion's cry of shock caught his attention. Spinning in his place, he saw Marluxia aiming his scythe for Shion, obviously taking advantage of the distraction he'd created.

"Oh, no you don't!" Nick shouted, sprinting for Marluxia. Just in time, Nick swung the Oathkeeper, effectively stopping Marluxia's scythe. Taking his chance, Nick struck in an upward motion, knocking the scythe out of Marluxia's hands. Nick performed a somersault and grabbed the scythe.

Marluxia could do nothing but watch as Nick attacked him with his own weapon. Intent on finishing the fight, Nick leapt back and threw the scythe straight for its owner in a Strike Raid-style attack.

As the spinning blade struck Marluxia, everything went white for a few seconds. Once it cleared, Marluxia was just standing there, his scythe nowhere to be seen.

"That is proof enough."

With those choice words, Marluxia disappeared, leaving behind a mysterious new keyblade. Nick picked it up and examined it: it seemed to be a fusion of Oathkeeper and Oblivion. The handle was a black version of Oathkeeper's handle, the blade was a silver version of Oblivion's blade, and the tip was a curved blue heart, the symbol of Kingdom Hearts. A crown that looked like the one on Sora's necklace was dangling from the keychain. The words _Acrossing Two_ ran through Nick's head as he studied the new weapon.

A few seconds later, the same orb from before appeared, taking Nick and Shion out of the Absent Silhouette arena.

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Once Nick and Shion reappeared in Proto Merkabah, Maylin was the first to speak up.

"Hey, Nick?" Maylin wondered. "Just what the heck was that 'Absent Silhouette' thing?"

"I think I know what's going on," Mina spoke up. "Remember when you and the Guardians sealed the door to Castle Oblivion after defeating the Organization?"

"Yeah. I sealed that door so they couldn't come back," Nick remembered. "But if I sealed that door, how did we fight those members?"

"I can answer that," Mina answered. "Their physical bodies may have been sealed away for good, but I just bet their spirits are still lurking around the worlds. They're trying to find you, Nick."

"Really?" Nick replied. "Why are they after me?"

"Probably because they want your heart."

Everyone began looking around for the source of the mysterious new voice. Nick was the first one to spot its owner: a man who appeared to be at least 26, with short, spiky white hair, and wearing a silver robe that looked very familiar.

"Albedo!" Shion exclaimed, readying her M.W.S.

"You know this guy, Shion?" Nick asked, twirling the Oathkeeper.

"Unfortunately," Shion responded. "He's the one who summoned Proto Merkabah. He's trying to crash it into Second Miltia!"

"Well, well, aren't you the smart one?" Albedo taunted.

"All right, tough guy! Let's see how funny you think you are after THIS!" Nick exclaimed, raising the Oathkeeper and charging.

"Try whatever you want," Albedo mocked as Nick drew ever closer. "There is nothing you can do that could hurt me."

Nick simply smirked, leaping high into the air. With a mighty battle cry, he brought the Oathkeeper crashing down onto Albedo, knocking him far back.

Albedo was surprised to find that something actually wounded him with his special powers. "Ah. I see. You must be the chosen wielder of the Keyblade."

"So what if I am?" Nick shot back.

"I wonder... will it obey me once I destroy you?" Albedo exclaimed, holding his hands out and becoming enveloped in a dark aura.

Suddenly, Proto Merkabah began shaking violently in the wake of Albedo's transformation.

"What the heck's going on?" Haruka exclaimed.

"I don't know, and I don't like it!" Nick replied, pulling out his Drive orb. "You ready, Haruka?"

Haruka nodded and focused.

"Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!" Nick shouted, silver light exploding from him as Haruka disappeared from sight. When the silver light died down, Nick was back in Sweet Form, wielding Sweet Crest in his left hand and his new keyblade, Acrossing Two, in his right hand.

At that very moment, Albedo came out of his own transformation, having turned into a massive white creature with three jewels on his head, a long sword in his left hand, and a massive clock for a right hand.

"All right, freak, let's go!" Sweet Form Nick shouted, rushing forward and rapidly attacking, ending the combo with a graceful tornado attack.

However, when Nick withdrew, he noticed that Ein Rugel didn't have a scratch on him!

"What the heck? That should have done damage!" Nick exclaimed in frustration.

"Let me try something," Maylin replied, taking a trio of spell coins out of her pocket. "This is going to be fun!"

With that, Maylin tossed all three coins into the air and held out Chinese Spirit. "Force, know my plight! Release the light!"

"FIRE!" She struck the first coin.

"WIND!" She quickly struck the second coin in sequence.

"THUNDER!!" Finally, she struck the third coin. All three began glowing, releasing the spells they commanded all at the same time.

Ein Rugel didn't have time to react, as all three spells flew like lightning towards him. The three elemental attacks struck him, causing him to back off, clutching his now-wounded chest.

"That's it!" Maylin shouted. "This guy's vulnerable to magic! We've got to concentrate our strongest spells on him!"

"There's just one problem with that plan, Maylin," Nick responded. "Eventually, you're going to run out of spell coins, and then we're going to get it!"

"Okay, so how are we going to do _that_?" Maylin shot back.

Nick didn't have a chance to answer, as Ein Rugel had recovered from the triple magic attack and smacked Nick across the face with his clock hand, forcing Nick out of Sweet Form. The Oathkeeper and Sweet Crest keyblades clattered to the floor as Nick and Haruka lay there, sprawled out.

"Was that your best shot?" Albedo's voice resounded from within Ein Rugel. "You really are pathetic!"

"We're not done yet, you little freak!" Nick exclaimed, standing up as best he could, calling the Oathkeeper back to his hand.

"Really?" Albedo's voice exclaimed. "Just what hope do you have of defeating me?"

As if to answer his question, Nick's Drive orb began glowing again – this time, a bright turquoise. Nick looked towards Maylin; she was glowing the same color.

"You just had to say it, Albedo, didn't you?" Maylin taunted, earning a growl from Albedo as she disappeared from sight.

That familiar silver light came from Nick again, but as before, when he came out of the light, he was indeed very different.

His Drive Form clothes were now black and turquoise with a few silver linings here and there. This time, Nick only had one keyblade to speak of – Maylin's Chinese Spirit. However, he was twirling it behind his back, and he seemed to hover a few inches off of the ground, surrounded by an aqua blue magical aura.

"Wow! Now _that's_ awesome!" Honor Form Nick exclaimed, aiming Chinese Spirit for Ein Rugel. Almost instantaneously, a series of magical bullets poured from the tip of the keyblade, slamming into Ein Rugel and forcing him to back up.

Honor Form Nick kept the pressure on, never letting up for a second. At the end of his combo, Nick tossed his keyblade into the air and focused on his heightened magic powers. A few seconds later, from completely out of nowhere, an incredible amount of magical bullets came raining down from the sky, sweeping the entire battlefield and doing serious damage to Ein Rugel.

Suddenly, Maylin's voice exclaimed, "Hey! What happened to all my spell coins?"

"Maybe we don't need them in this form, since our combined magical power is already way off the scale," Nick's voice responded. As if to confirm the statement, Honor Form Nick raised his keyblade towards Ein Rugel yet again, shouting "THUNDAGA!!"

Responding to Honor Form Nick's command, the high-level Thunder spell shot forth like an almighty storm, piercing through Ein Rugel and damaging him further.

"Shion! You ready to finish this?" Honor Form Nick asked Shion, who stood ready with her M.W.S.

"As I'll ever be," Shion responded, charging up a Spell Ray.

Ein Rugel just stood there, too damaged to do much of anything.

"NOW!" Nick shouted.

"_Spell Ray!!_"

"THUNDER!!"

The two combined attacks hit their mark, tearing through Ein Rugel, and subsequently Albedo, at an unholy speed. Once the massive beam attack dissipated, Ein Rugel began to dissolve, signifying his defeat.

"You... you haven't seen the last of me!" Albedo shouted. "I'll be back!"

With that, Ein Rugel disappeared completely, its only remains being the clock that made up its right hand.

Speaking of which, said clock began to glow, revealing this world's keyhole. Honor Form Nick aimed his keyblade for the keyhole, focusing his magical powers on sealing off yet another world from the Heartless.

Once the familiar 'click' sound was heard, the clock, too, dissolved. Honor Form Nick quickly split back into Nick and Maylin, each holding their respective keyblades.

Before anyone could say another word, a portal opened behind them, leading back to Traverse Town.

"Took them long enough!" Maylin shouted, running into the portal. She obviously hadn't forgotten about the prize she'd won at the karaoke contest.

"Hey! Get back here!" Haruka exclaimed, pursuing the rampaging Maylin, Mina not too far behind. Nick turned back to Shion.

"Leon and the gang need us," Nick explained. "Guess it's time for us to go."

"Will we see you again?" Shion asked.

"Soon enough, Shion. Soon enough."

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NEW FORM!

Honor Form  
Partner: Maylin  
Focus: strong magical attacks  
Keyblade(s): One (Default: Chinese Spirit)  
Abilities: Honor Shot (allows you to shoot magic bullets from your weapon), Honor Rain (finisher that sweeps the battlefield with magic bullets), Honor Sight (finisher that focuses on a single target), Magic Haste (enables rapid magic casting), Magic Finish (powers up the finishing moves of magic combos)  
Advancing Form Ability: Light Barrier (allows you to put up a defensive barrier that reduces damage taken) 

Here's the Wisdom Form! But, seriously, Honor Form is much more powerful than Wisdom Form, thanks in part to Nick and Maylin's higher magic levels. Honor Form Nick still has the customary long-range magic bullet attack we know and love from Wisdom Form, along with two new finishers, one that hits many enemies and one that focuses on one (and any nearby). Its special ability allows Honor Form Nick to put up a shield that functions like the Aero spell, reducing damage for a limited time, dependent on magic level.

Next time:

Chapter 7: Sidequesting Adventures, Part 1! Time For a Quick Break!

Nick and the gang head back to Traverse Town for a break in their adventures. Maylin seems interested in the synthesis shop that's opened recently, Haruka notices postings for a tournament in the 3rd District, and Nick finds another Absent Silhouette waiting for him...


	7. Sidequesting Adventures, Part 1!

Once Nick, Maylin, Haruka, and Mina stepped out of the portal that led back to Traverse Town, they instantly knew something was up...

...there were tons of people scrambling for something in the center of the Third District!

"What's everyone so pumped up about?" Maylin asked, wading through the crowd of people.

"It's tournament time," a woman's voice replied.

Nick, using the Oathkeeper's power, was able to pinpoint the source of the voice - a girl of about 15 with a green and yellow uniform, and carrying a giant shuriken behind her.

"Yuffie!" Nick exclaimed. "You're Leon's friend, right?"

"Exactly."

"What in the world's going on?" Nick asked.

"There's a tournament going on in the Third District," Yuffie explained. "Whoever's got a weapon is trying to fight a group of Heartless that Leon and I contained. The infamous Sapphire Cup is the prize."

"Really?" Haruka responded. "I've always wanted to show my stuff for the public!"

"We already did, remember?" Maylin exclaimed.

"For your information, that was YOU showing YOUR stuff at the karaoke contest," Haruka noted.

"I'M more interested in _that_," Maylin exclaimed, pointing her keyblade towards another poster that was sitting on the nearby pillar. It read, "TRAVERSE TOWN SYNTHESIS SHOP OPEN! WANT TO MAKE SOME COOL STUFF? THEN COME TO THE MOOGLES OF TRAVERSE TOWN!"

"I've always wanted to create such cool stuff since I was a child," Maylin noted with obvious enthusiasm. "I promise I'll get some stuff for you guys!"

With that, Maylin was off in a streak, plowing through several groups of people towards the First District.

"I haven't seen her so psyched since... well, EVER," Nick noted, trying to find his way through the crowd to the sign-up booth for the Sapphire Cup Tournament.

"Hey, um... Nick, was it?" Yuffie asked.

"Yeah?"

"You wielding the keyblade... it reminds me of Sora sometimes."

"Really? I haven't seen Sora since the Keyblade Wars ended. I wonder how he's doing?"

"Man, I heard from the girls about what happened to your home," Yuffie noted. "Just like Sora. It must be hard losing everything you knew..."

"Yeah... I lost my lover AND all of my best friends..." Nick replied, trying not to relive the painful memories.

"It's okay, Nick," Yuffie said sympathetically. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"It's not that... Have you heard of the Guardians of the Veil?"

"I think so... weren't they a group of teenage kids gifted with the powers of the elements?"

"Yeah... I'm one of them."

"Really?" Yuffie exclaimed.

"Yeah... but I'm not much of a Guardian anymore. Our elemental powers are only at their fullest when our leader has the Heart of Candracar by her side."

"What happened to your leader?"

"... she was the one who destroyed my world. She'd been baited by the darkness, and she found my world's heart. I couldn't stop her..."

"More like you wouldn't stop her," a mysterious voice said. Nick instantly recognized it.

"Lexaeus!" Nick exclaimed, looking upwards to see a glowing silver orb with the silhouette of Lexaeus' tomahawk. "Guess you want a rematch, huh?"

Wasting no more time, Nick raised the Oathkeeper and jumped into the orb.

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(Trust is considered very fragile. It can take years to build up trust, but it can take only the smallest of betrayals to shatter...)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: April 28, 2007  
Summary: Nick and the gang head back to Traverse Town for a break in their adventures. Maylin seems interested in the synthesis shop that's opened recently, Haruka notices postings for a tournament in the 3rd District, and Nick finds another Absent Silhouette waiting for him...  
World Exploration Theme: "Traverse Town"  
Synthesis Shop Theme: "The Escapade" from _Kingdom Hearts II  
_Sapphire Cup Tournament Theme: "Go For It!" (_Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories_ version)  
Absent Silhouette Theme (Lexaeus): "The 13th Reflection" from _Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+_

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own _W.I.T.C.H._ or any properties, games, or anime used in the creation of this story. All I own is my created characters (Nick, Maylin, and Haruka). Okay? Okay.

One quick thing: Isn't it weird that all the Absent Silhouette battles take place where that particular member died?

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Chapter 7: Go For the Sapphire Cup (a.k.a. Sidequesting Adventures, Part 1! Time For a Quick Break!)

Maylin brushed a few strands of hair away from her face as she walked towards the synthesis shop.

"I wonder who these Moogles really are?" Maylin wondered. "I'd heard legends and stuff about them, but I didn't think they really existed..."

Maylin knocked twice on the door to the Synthesis Shop, and it opened seemingly by itself...

...until Maylin looked down and noticed a little creature no bigger than her hand, with a little red ball sticking out of its head.

"Are you the Moogles that run the Synthesis Shop? I'd like to make some stuff for my friends," Maylin asked.

"You're in luck, little girl," one of the Moogles replied. "We've just finished gathering the materials for our recipes, and we're ready to open shop!"

"Good, good. Let's see what we can make today," Maylin stated, walking into the shop and towards the Moogle who held the day's recipes.

"Hi. My name's Maylin Rae, and I'd like to apply for a Synthesizing License," Maylin said to the Moogle at the desk.

"Sure. There's just one problem: we need something magical to bring the materials together to make our items."

At that, Maylin smiled, holding up her Chinese Spirit keyblade. The Moogles gasped.

"A Keyblade?" the Moogle at the desk exclaimed. "You are one of the Chosen Ones..."

"There's no need for such flattery. Just give me the materials, and I'll forge them together for you guys," Maylin explained. "Now let's see..."

Maylin began looking through the recipes that the Moogles were offering.

"Okay! I've decided! To start out, I'm going to put together the Heartguard recipe," Maylin exclaimed, picking up a Stylish Heart Recipe. "Nick will like this."

Taking her share of synthesis materials, Maylin also picked up her new Synthesizing License from the Moogle at the desk, and sat down at a nearby table, taking a look at the recipe.

"Okay, let's see... I need three Spirit Shards, three Power Shards, and a Power Crystal..."

Maylin looked at the materials she'd brought. "Drat, I'm short a Power Crystal... wait!"

The Chinese girl reached into her pocket and pulled out the leaf-green crystal that the gang won from the battle against Icy and the Trickmaster. "I didn't think this thing would help me out. But, oh well."

Maylin separated the required materials from the others in her pile, and pointed her keyblade towards the materials for the Heartguard accessory. She began chanting in her native Chinese language. The crystals and shards reacted to Maylin's chanting, rising into the air and glowing brightly.

A few seconds later, as Maylin finished her chant, a bright flash filled the Synthesis Shop. Once it had cleared, the materials for the recipe had disappeared and formed into a crystalline bracelet decorated with shining pink hearts.

"Et voila!" Maylin exclaimed, holding out the Heartguard necklace to show the clearly surprised Moogles.

"Just amazing. You are definitely a Chosen One," the Moogle at the material desk stated.

"You guys..." Maylin replied, blushing.

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Back in Castle Oblivion's fourth basement, Nick hopped out of the Absent Silhouette orb, coming face-to-face with Lexaeus, the Silent Hero, who was brandishing his gigantic tomahawk.

"Well. You're one of the more talkative Absent Silhouettes I've come across," Nick noted, brandishing the Oathkeeper.

"Guess you can say I've been itching for a rematch," Lexaeus responded, screaming to the sky. Nick was suddenly buffeted by a wave of force as a powerful energy aura sprung up around Lexaeus.

"WHOA! I've never felt power like that before!" Nick exclaimed. "But, just like during the Keyblade Wars, that giant tomahawk is the source of his power. If I can get that away from him, he's as good as mine!"

Feeling confident, Nick raised the Oathkeeper and charged forward. Lexaeus began swinging his weapon, which Nick easily dodged. Nick hopped back and forth across the many pillars that dotted the arena, effectively dodging Lexaeus' attacks.

Getting quite impatient, Lexaeus slammed his tomahawk into the ground just as Nick was coming down from his leap. The massive weapon created a pillar of earth that would have done serious damage to Nick had he not blocked with the Oathkeeper at the last second. Nick landed on the ground and reassessed his options.

"He's got some incredible defense," Nick noted, studying Lexaeus. "And the girls aren't with me, so I can't use my Drive forms..."

Nick's train of thought was quickly interrupted by a point-blank slash from Lexaeus' tomahawk. Nick almost instantaneously dodged backwards, and slid back towards Lexaeus, performing an Upper Slash that knocked the Silent Hero skyward.

_Now's my chance!_ Nick thought, leaping towards the flailing Lexaeus and reaching out to grab the tomahawk...

...only to have Lexaeus take it and slam Nick into a nearby pillar.

"Sorry, little boy, but your wish has been denied!" Lexaeus shouted, throwing his tomahawk like a boomerang towards the stunned keybearer. Nick was only able to avoid taking damage by batting the tomahawk away with the Oathkeeper.

Needless to say, Nick was still quite dazed by the Silent Hero's surprise attack. Quickly shaking it off, Nick growled. "Okay, time to get serious," Nick stated, the Fatal Crest keyblade appearing in his free hand. Nick brought his two keyblades into a dual-wielding stance that he'd practiced for a while.

"Please. You think another pitiful key will save you?" Lexaeus taunted. Nick simply shrugged the intimidating words off.

"I don't think YOU get it, Lexaeus," Nick responded, twirling the Fatal Crest around. "Riku finished you off with the Soul Eater. That was _not_ a keyblade. You really have no idea what this 'pitiful key' is capable of, do you?"

Wasting no more time, Nick charged forward, swinging both of his keyblades. Lexaeus quickly countered with a broad overhead slash, but was surprised to see Nick easily counter it with Fatal Crest.

"You're wasting your time, Lexaeus," Nick taunted. "Now that I know your weakness, you don't stand a chance."

Nick took this moment to perform a horizontal cut with the Oathkeeper, sending the Silent Hero off balance and releasing his tomahawk.

"Got you now!" Nick shouted, performing a flying leap and grasping the tomahawk firmly in his hands. It actually felt very light, considering how huge the thing was.

Taking his chance, Nick dropped to the ground and rushed forward, aiming the tomahawk for its owner. Lexaeus, not to be discouraged, slammed his hands onto the ground, using the power of the element he controlled to send bunches of rocks flying towards Nick. To the Silent Hero's evident shock, Nick simply cut through the rocks with the tomahawk.

As Nick inched closer, he performed a beautiful somersaulting leap, spinning the tomahawk all the while. Once he was close enough to Lexaeus, he struck, performing an impressive Aerial Finish-style attack with the tomahawk. Once Nick finished the attack, everything flashed white for a few seconds.

Once the flash cleared, Lexaeus was standing there with his tomahawk again.

"You are very skilled, young warrior," Lexaeus explained. "That is why the Absent Silhouette exists."

"Meaning...?" Nick asked.

"You know as well as I do what Organization XIII exists for: the desire to become human again by collecting hearts. The Absent Silhouette was created and spread across the worlds as a call to the bearers of the keyblade. With each victory over a silhouette, their spirit is released into the soul of Kingdom Hearts, giving that member a chance to become human again."

"Wait a minute, that reminds me..." Nick wondered. "When my friends and I explored one of the worlds, we ran across someone who looked like Larxene, only she was wearing a silver robe. She was talking about something called the Thirteenth Order. Do you have any idea what that might be?"

"I do not know much about the Thirteenth Order," Lexaeus responded, "but I may as well tell you what I _do_ know. The Thirteenth Order was created by a wicked soul named Lord Diablos. He plans to use the villains he's gathered for the Order to collect hearts and assimilate them into the door to darkness. Lord Diablos wishes to use the hearts he's collected to unlock the doorway to Kingdom Hearts, and use its immense power to enslave all worlds."

"In other words, _he's_ the one who baited Will into the darkness!" Nick exclaimed.

"Yes. You must find Diablos before your friend is lost permanently to the darkness. And now, I leave you with this," Lexaeus stated, vanishing in a swirl of dark energy. In the Silent Hero's place lay a crystal with two small wings that shined very brightly.

As soon as he picked up the crystal, Nick was warped out of the Absent Silhouette arena.

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Haruka quickly spun around and swung her Sweet Crest keyblade, deflecting a powerful punch from a Fat Bandit, and just in time, too, as a group of Shadows quickly jumped her.

"Get off me, you heart-craving freaks!" Haruka tried to shake off the Shadows, but to no avail, as there were too many for her to count.

"Guess you may need my help," Nick's voice rang out from above. Suddenly, the closest Shadow to Haruka's field of vision was quickly met with the business end of the Oathkeeper keyblade.

Nick came out of his battle, the Oathkeeper held high. Nick helped Haruka up and brought his keyblade into a fighting stance. As Haruka did the same, the crowd that had gathered began cheering loudly.

Nick dashed forward and attended to the Shadows, while Haruka charged for the Fat Bandit she'd attacked earlier.

"Hey, Nick? You up for a co-op?" Haruka asked.

"I'd love to. GATHER!!" Nick shouted, scooping up the Shadows around him with a Magnera spell. Haruka took this as her cue, and charged for the Fat Bandit again, circling to its back at the last second and tossing her keyblade for the rogue Heartless, knocking it up into the air.

Nick then directed his Magnera spell towards the landing point of the Fat Bandit, causing the Shadows under his control to cluster at the Fat Bandit's landing spot. Soon enough, the rotund Heartless fell from the sky and landed directly on the Shadows, quickly obliterating them.

Nick came down from his position in the air and delivered a powerful slash straight through the Fat Bandit. Once the Heartless had evaporated, it was all over.

The spectators began cheering loudly. Soon enough, the tournament overseer rushed into the ring, holding a nicely-sized trophy made out of pure sapphire.

"That was an awesome finishing move, you two!" the overseer exclaimed.

"Thanks," Haruka replied, taking the Sapphire Cup Trophy into her hands. "Nick and I have been practicing the Magnet Splash for a while now."

Haruka held the Sapphire Cup in a victory pose, only causing the spectators to cheer even louder.

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"Thanks, you guys! That was so much fun!" Maylin exclaimed, waving goodbye to the Moogles of the synthesis shop as she walked out with the materials she'd created: the Heartguard for Nick, a Crystal Crown for Haruka, and a Three Stars for herself.

"Maylin! Over here!" Haruka shouted, waving to Maylin while carrying the Sapphire Cup.

"Awesome! You won the tournament?" Maylin asked.

"You mean _we_ won," Nick responded, spinning the Oathkeeper in his hands. "I dropped in after my Absent Silhouette battle and helped Haruka dear finish the battle with our Magnet Splash tag-team."

"Speaking of which, I made some stuff for you guys at the Synthesis Shop. Here," Maylin stated, handing the Crystal Crown to Haruka.

"Wow! It's so pretty!" Haruka exclaimed, snapping the Crystal Crown around her wrist. Almost immediately, Haruka felt a power surge through her, coming from the Crystal Crown itself.

"I learned from the Moogles that the Crystal Crown boosts all kinds of elemental resistances, aside from looking really pretty," Maylin explained before walking over to Nick and handing him the Heartguard.

"Here, Nick. This is for you. The Heartguard will increase your darkness elemental resistance by at least thirty percent," Maylin explained, slipping the Heartguard onto Nick's wrist. "Plus, I thought it would remind you of Irma..."

"It's simply beautiful, Maylin," Nick replied, drawing Maylin into a hug. "Thank you so much..."

"Aw, it was nothing..." Maylin replied, returning the embrace. "You must really love her, huh?"

"Yeah..." Nick looked up into the sky, holding the Oathkeeper tightly. "I learned from that Absent Silhouette battle that someone named Lord Diablos is behind all of this. What's been happening to the worlds, the fact that Will betrayed us... Diablos is trying to open the door to Kingdom Hearts and enslave the worlds."

"Figures. I guess Maleficent found herself a protégé," Haruka noted.

"We have to keep sealing the worlds until we find out which world Lord Diablos is hiding on. We find Diablos, we'll find Will. And hopefully we can convince Will to come back to us."

Suddenly, a pulsing blue portal appeared in front of the party.

"GUYS!!" a completely out-of-breath Mina shouted, rushing up to the trio. "You weren't going to leave without me, were you?"

"Where were YOU all this time, Mina?" Nick asked.

"I was at the shop, getting some items and stuff for our next world. I have a feeling we may need it..."

"You showed up just in time, Mina. Let's get going," Nick stated. "The worlds are calling..."

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Next time:

Chapter 8: Trapped on a Collapsing Asteroid! Quickly, Jet Force Gemini!

Nick and the gang head to a new world, which turns out to be an asteroid that's hurtling for a nearby planet. Though all seems lost, Nick meets a duo that's ready to give their all for their mission...


	8. Quickly, Jet Force Gemini!

"So, little girl, what is it that you have come for?" a mysterious, bug-like creature asked.

"I simply offer my services to you, Prince Mizar," the girl's voice responded. That girl turned out to be Will, a group of Tornado Step Heartless standing willingly behind her.

"And what might that be?" Mizar responded.

"I understand that there are some troublesome twins that you want eliminated," Will replied. "You can use these Heartless to assist you."

"Ah, the Heartless. I've heard so much about them. Is it true that they are the darkness of people's hearts?"

"Indeed," Will continued. "The Heartless prey for more hearts, and I can only surmise that those Jet Force Gemini twerps have never faced such an intimidating foe before."

"Simply outstanding!" Mizar cackled with glee. "With the Heartless at my side, the Mizar Empire will be unstoppable!"

"Um... I wouldn't start getting too full of yourself if I were you," Will noted, hating herself for having to resort to this.

"What do you mean, girl?"

"See... the problem is, there's this kid and his three bratty friends. They've been traveling throughout all the various worlds out there. The boy has this special weapon that can destroy the Heartless any way he pleases. He is to be considered a big stumbling block to your plans," Will explained.

"No matter. I will simply destroy the boy. He is no threat," Mizar replied, quite confident of himself.

"I'd drop the self-confidence if I were you, buddy," Will shot back. "The kid and his brats are _very_ good. They've blasted their way through most of my best fighters. The boy actually kicked MY ass once! Trust me, Mizar, if you underestimate them, those meddlesome Keyblade bearers will _tear you to shreds!_"

"You'd do good not to anger me, little lady. I practically rule this territory, and I _will_ execute you if you piss me off," Mizar threatened.

"I'm telling you this for your own good, Mizar!" Will shouted. "Your brash self-confidence is going to be your undoing if you face those kids without preparing!"

"That's it! I tried warning you, but you just don't seem to get the hint!" Mizar exclaimed. "Guards! Eliminate this little pest!"

Almost instantaneously, a squadron of Mizar's elite guards converged on the scene, weapons all aimed at Will. The redheaded dark warrior simply smirked, holding the Soul Eater in a battle stance.

"EXECUTE HER!" Mizar shouted. Obeying their lord's command, each and every guard opened fire on Will, covering the immediate area with dust, smoke, and a storm of laser fire. Once it was clear, Will was nowhere to be seen.

"Excellent. Now that little wench will learn to respect me in the afterlife," Mizar laughed proudly...

...only to be interrupted by a spray of green liquid. Mizar looked forward, only to see a gaping hole punched through one of his elite guards.

"What in the blue moons of Goldwood?" was all Mizar could say before Will reappeared, dashing about at unbelievable speeds, wiping out each and every one of Mizar's guards with her Shadows of Oblivion attack. (Author's Note: Basically, it's like Riku's Dark Aura, only much stronger and flashier.)

Once the Shadows of Oblivion attack had ended, Will appeared right behind Mizar, the Soul Eater pointed precariously close to the insect overlord's neck.

"Now, are you going to listen to me, or do you want to be Swiss cheese like your guards?" Will asked in an evil tone.

"A-a-all right," Mizar stuttered. "You've made your point quite clearly."

"All I want is for you to be ready for those kids when and if they come, and trust me, they will," Will noted.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Listen to this..."

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(Now you know aliens exist, even if it's hundreds of years after the fact...)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: May 1st, 2007  
Summary: Nick and the gang head to a new world, which turns out to be an asteroid that's hurtling for a nearby planet. Though all seems lost, Nick meets a duo that's ready to give their all for their mission...  
World Exploration Theme: "Cavern of Remembrance" from _Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+  
_World Battle Theme: "Night of Fate"  
Miniboss Theme (Jet Force Gemini): "Dance to the Death"  
Boss Battle Theme (Mizar): "Desire for All That is Lost"  
Boss Battle Theme (Giant Mizar): "Destiny's Force"  
Absent Silhouette Theme (Larxene): "The 13th Reflection" from _Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+_

Disclaimer: Okay, for the zillionth time, _W.I.T.C.H. _and _Kingdom Hearts_ and all associated properties belong to Disney and Square Enix. _Jet Force Gemini_, which I believe is one of the overlooked gems of the Nintendo 64, is copyright Rare.

Note: Bet you didn't expect THIS one, did you? By the by, I had more fun writing Larxene's Absent Silhouette battle than you may think...

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Chapter 8: Trapped on a Collapsing Asteroid! Quickly, Jet Force Gemini!

As the portal opened, Nick was the first of the quad to notice that the ground they were standing on was moving.

"What the heck?" Maylin asked, trying her best to keep her balance on the moving asteroid.

"Where are we?" Haruka wondered, readying her Sweet Crest keyblade.

"You've run into your doom, freaks," a new voice cut in.

Nick and the gang turned around and noticed a new pair of characters standing there, all decked out in futuristic armor, and their laser guns trained on Nick and the girls.

"By order of Jet Force Gemini, you two are under arrest!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed. Nick noted that she was kinda cute...

"Jet Force Gemini?" Haruka repeated. "WAIT! I remember this place! This was the first world I ever visited since..."

Haruka stopped on a dime upon seeing the boy in the new duo tense up. Haruka immediately knew she'd said the wrong thing.

"That proves you're working for Mizar!" the boy exclaimed, firing bolt after bolt of laser fire for the party. The girls dodged away, while Nick easily deflected some of the bolts with the Oathkeeper.

"Look! We're not evil! What do I have to do to get that through this thick head of yours?" Nick shouted, charging for the boy and deflecting each laser bolt set upon him.

"Tough break, kid," the boy responded, taking up a fighting stance with his laser gun. "I'm more agile than you think."

This was Nick's chance. He began charging his keyblade with power, and as soon as the boy turned his gun on Nick, the aforementioned keybearer ripped forward like a lightning bolt, delivering a powerful strike to the JFG boy's weapon, which clattered to the ground.

The boy picked it up again and pulled the trigger, only to find that it wasn't responding. "What the heck? How'd you disable my weapon?"

"You don't get it, buddy. My Zantetsuken finisher can disable just about ANYTHING," Nick explained before raising the Oathkeeper again.

The blue-haired girl simply stood there watching the battle go down. Haruka walked up to the blue-haired girl, a wondering look on her face. "Vela? Is that you?"

Vela recognized that voice! "Haruka! Oh, my gosh, is it really you?"

The two girls embraced, having become great friends while Haruka had been traveling abroad. "How the heck have you been, girl?"

"Oh, the usual. Tracking some friends, wiping out Heartless," Haruka responded.

"New friends of yours?" Vela asked, pointing towards Maylin, Mina, and Nick (who was still fighting the other boy).

"Yeah. Which reminds me, I'd better get Nick off of Juno before something bad happens," Haruka noted, only to see Juno rushing at her with his laser sword.

"You release her, evil pest!" Juno shouted, only to have Nick interrupt his attack and knock Juno's laser sword away with the Oathkeeper.

"No one calls my best friend a pest!!" Nick exclaimed, rather angry at Juno for threatening Haruka. Nick was about ready to disable Juno himself with another Zantetsuken attack, but...

"STOP IT, YOU TWO!" Vela exclaimed, known for her rather short temper. That caught Juno's attention, and drew Nick's attention away from his attacker.

"Juno, this is Haruka. We met her a couple years ago, remember?"

Finally, Juno recognized the girl he'd almost pummeled.

"Haruka? Is that really you?" Juno asked, dropping his weapon. "Man, you've grown up, haven't you?"

"You could say that," Haruka replied.

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"So, you and your friends have been traveling across the worlds, sealing these 'keyholes' so the 'Heartless' don't destroy them. Is that right?" Juno asked as Nick and the girls explained everything that had gone down since Will's betrayal.

"Exactly," Nick replied. "We're also fighting the spirits of an order known as Organization XIII. There's this set of orbs that can be seen throughout the worlds..."

"Like that one?" Vela asked, motioning to a glowing silver orb just above the party.

"Just like that one," Nick stated, drawing the Oathkeeper. "Let's go."

Nick jumped into the orb, followed by Vela.

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Once again, inside Castle Oblivion, Nick and Vela appeared from the Absent Silhouette orb, coming face to face with Larxene, the "Savage Nymph".

"Didn't your mother tell you not to fight girls?" Larxene taunted.

"In your case, I'll make an exception, since you really aren't supposed to exist," Nick stated, brandishing the Oathkeeper.

"Any last words?" Larxene continued.

"Actually, there is one thing I've wanted to say to you, Larxene. Um... I... I, uh... I kinda think you're cute."

Larxene gasped in surprise, almost dropping her kunais. Whatever it was, she sure hadn't expected _that_.

"Really?"

"I don't lie, Larxene. You of all people should know that," Nick replied.

"Aww... you're sweet, kid. Too bad I gotta destroy you!" Larxene exclaimed, kunais at the ready.

With that, the fight began. Larxene was already on the offensive, dropping seemingly endless lightning bolts all around the arena.

Nick simply absorbed some of the bolts, being that lightning was his element, while dodging around the others. Soon enough, he found Larxene, and started attacking rapidly. However, before he could get in a combo finisher, Larxene slashed him with her kunais.

Nick performed a quick aerial recovery, and began attacking again, this time getting in a Magnet Splash finisher that sent Larxene flying.

Once she landed, Larxene giggled, then suddenly split herself into four copies.

"Whoa, whoa! Since when did SHE get a cloning ability?" Nick wondered. Vela was firing laser blasts left and right, hoping to interrupt Larxene's incoming attack.

All at once, Larxene and her copies dashed towards the center of the arena, forming an "X" of sorts. Vela was knocked into the air, though Nick threw a Hi-Potion for her as she fell back down.

As Larxene formed herself back into one person (or lack thereof), she did something brand new: she joined her kunais into a lightning sword and charged for Nick.

"Oh, you wanna duel, huh?" Nick exclaimed, running towards Larxene while wielding the Oathkeeper.

Oathkeeper and the lightning sword clashed together, trapping Nick and the Savage Nymph in a fierce duel.

Eventually, Nick was able to overpower Larxene, knocking the laser sword out of her hands and sending her flying with a horizontal attack.

Nick took this as his chance, leaping into the air and grabbing Larxene by the legs. With great force, Nick spun her around before tossing her high into the air and finishing up with a triple strike.

Larxene was far from finished, however, once again splitting up into numerous clones. A split second later, every single clone teleported in front of Nick and began attacking like crazy.

Nick was quickly able to shoot off a Reflect spell before he took any serious damage. Once Larxene was distracted, Nick began a final charge towards Larxene, the Oathkeeper held high.

Larxene prepared herself for whatever Nick was trying. Nick got ever closer to Larxene...

...and suddenly grabbed the back of her head, pulling the Savage Nymph into a deep kiss. Larxene felt something mysterious well up inside her as Nick kissed her. It felt odd to her, especially since she wasn't really supposed to have _any _emotion.

Nick pulled back a couple seconds later.

"That was so sweet..." Larxene whispered to herself, so lost in this new emotion that she didn't even notice Nick jumping back with the Oathkeeper in his hands again.

One mighty slash later, it was all over.

The familiar blinding flash filled the arena, and once it cleared, Larxene was standing there, silent.

"Good job, kid. I never expected you to pull _that_ little trick out of the bag," Larxene stated, holding her hands together.

"To be frank, it's something I've always wanted to do," Nick admitted.

With that, Larxene vanished, leaving a mysterious bracelet behind. Nick picked it up and snapped it onto his left wrist next to the Heartguard bracelet.

"Let's get out of here," Nick motioned to Vela, and together, they jumped into the Absent Silhouette orb...

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...only to be nearly nailed by a flying keyblade as they came out.

"What the...?" Nick exclaimed. "Haruka! Maylin! Mina! What's going on?"

"THAT'S what!" Juno replied, pointing towards a blue bug-like creature dressed in royal garb.

"Mizar!" Vela shouted, drawing her own laser gun.

"I'm guessing that's the guy you were talking about?" Nick asked, readying the Oathkeeper.

"Wait. He seems different somehow," Mina noted. "I'm sensing a very powerful darkness coming from that bug thing!"

"You are so right, my dear bug bait," Mizar taunted. "With this new darkness, I can control the Heartless of my own accord!"

Mizar raised his arms into the air and summoned a horde of new Heartless, ones that looked like flying saucers with big, beady yellow eyes.

"Who's the weak one NOW, Jet Force Gemini?" Mizar exclaimed, drawing his personal battle staff.

"Girls! Tend to those Heartless!" Nick ordered, turning towards Mizar. "Jet Force and I will take the insect."

"You dare mock me?" Mizar shouted, spinning his staff. "After this is over, we'll see how cocky you really are! _En guarde!_"

"Gladly," Nick replied.

Suddenly, Nick disappeared in a flash of light.

"Where are you?" Mizar exclaimed, only to have Nick appear out of nowhere and run through him with the Oathkeeper. Mizar was knocked skyward just as Nick rotated for another strike, coming back just as fast as he had before.

Nick kept attacking rapidly, not giving Mizar a chance to react or counter. He finished the attack with a dashing uppercut that sent Mizar flying again.

All of a sudden, one of the Heartless that the girls were fighting tried to ambush Nick, but it quickly met its end via a fast swing from the Oathkeeper.

"Now, where was I?" Nick taunted, charging for Mizar again.

This time, Mizar actually attempted to parry the attack. The staff and Oathkeeper kept putting pressure on each other until Nick performed a leg sweep that tripped Mizar up, causing the bug overlord to drop his staff.

Taking his chance, Nick brought the Oathkeeper up in a swift vertical attack, cutting into Mizar and sending him falling to the nearby floor.

"Ugh... beaten by a bunch of _KIDS_... this cannot be..."

"It's over, Mizar!" Juno shouted. "By the order of Jet Force Gemini, you are under arrest!"

"Never!" Mizar exclaimed, glowing with an eerie black light. "YOU WILL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!"

The black light burst forth from Mizar, flowing towards a nearby asteroid. A massive flash covered the entire immediate area, and when it had cleared, Nick let out a gasp of surprise: Mizar had fused with the asteroid.

(Author's Note: Sound familiar, guys?)

"What in the... did he just fuse with that asteroid?" Haruka exclaimed after finishing off the last of the Heartless that Mizar had summoned.

"Worse!" Vela exclaimed. "He's directing it towards Earth!"

"We've gotta stop him!" Juno shouted. "But how? We can't reach him from here!"

"Um, hello?" Nick stated sarcastically. "You do realize I have magic powers, right?"

With that, Nick raised the Oathkeeper, and everyone present was covered in an Aero barrier that lifted them off of the ground.

"Incredible!" Juno stated in awe. "I've never seen abilities like this!"

"When you practice them for a few years, you get the hang of it," Nick replied. "Now let's go!"

Together, Nick and the girls, along with Jet Force Gemini, flew into space to take care of Mizar once and for all.

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"Now _THAT_ is ugly," Haruka commented upon reaching the asteroid that Mizar had fused with.

"How can we stop him?" Vela asked, using her visor to scan for a weak spot.

"Wait! I see something!" Nick exclaimed, pointing towards a mysterious purple orb that was on the top-left side of the massive moon rock. "I bet Mizar's drawing his power from those orbs! If we can destroy them, he won't stand a chance!"

"Right! Looks like we've got a bug to squash! I'm detecting six of those dark orb things!" Vela explained.

With that, the group split apart to tackle each of the dark orbs.

Mina was up first, flying around the back of the massive monster while slicing through any Heartless that got in her way with Infinity Bullet. Soon enough, she spotted the first orb.

Before she could attack it, however, a series of laser bolts shot from her.

"Oh, give me a break!" Mina shouted, deflecting as many lasers as she could. Finally, she reached the orb, and took it out with a swift combo.

Haruka circled around the right side of the massive Mizar, his ear flapping in the vacuum of space. The orb she was looking for was _in his ear._

"Okay, if that's not gross, I don't want to know what is," Haruka noted to herself, flying up and attacking the orb. Soon enough, it shattered, only to cover Haruka in a gross, purple liquid.

"All right, EW..." Haruka stated with disgust, casting a Water spell on herself. The oceanic liquid quickly wiped her clothes clean, free of any goop from the orb.

"Note to self, go shopping later and find clothes that won't stain," Haruka thought aloud.

Maylin decided to take a more forceful approach with the orb she found on the bottom of the asteroid, firing multiple Firaga spells towards the sphere of darkness.

"Come on! Why... won't... you... vanish?" Maylin exclaimed, continuing her rampaging spell-casting.

"Maylin, knock it off! Remember what happened the last time you used up all of your spell coins?" Haruka exclaimed from afar.

"Oh, man, you're right! That scar on my back STILL hasn't disappeared!" Maylin remembered. "But what should I do then?"

"Just use your keyblade!" Haruka replied. "You have it for a reason, you know!"

"Oh, yeah!" Maylin exclaimed, flying up and attacking the orb with a few combos.

Soon enough, the orb shattered, though Maylin cast a Reflect spell just in time to prevent herself from getting covered in the orb's ooze.

"Nice try, but MY clothes aren't getting stained today, buddy," Maylin reprimanded.

Juno was dodging around various Heartless, looking for his orb, which he eventually found on the right ear. Juno began firing his laser gun in random directions, trying to break the orb, but to no avail.

"What the heck? Why won't it break?" Juno exclaimed in frustration.

"Hey! Try shooting at the CENTER of the thing! Sheesh!" Vela exclaimed from afar.

"Oh, okay!" Juno replied, taking his twin sister's advice and firing at the center of the orb, just as Vela had instructed. A few good shots, and it shattered.

Vela, meanwhile, had found her target on the very top of the asteroid.

Suddenly, a few of the flying saucer Heartless ambushed her.

"Get OFF OF ME, you little freaks!" Vela exclaimed, drawing her laser sword. One quick spiral slash later, and each one was gone.

"There. Now you know not to mess with me," Vela continued, drawing her laser sword and jamming it into the orb, causing it to instantly shatter.

"All right, it's time I ended this," Nick stated, bringing the Oathkeeper into a fighting stance.

"It is impossible! I cannot be defeated!" Mizar's giant head spoke in a booming voice. The final orb was right on Mizar's head.

"Well, sorry, buddy, but you just were," Nick shot back, charging for Mizar's head.

With a mighty battle cry, he struck with the keyblade.

The only thing the others saw and heard were a few slashes before Nick reappeared on the opposite side of the asteroid. Haruka looked at Mizar's head - the last orb was gone, and the asteroid was beginning to break up. Nick held the Oathkeeper in a victory pose.

"Why do I feel like a Marine all of a sudden?" Nick said to himself.

Suddenly, the Mizar asteroid exploded into a bunch of rocks and a bright orange flash. Nick shielded himself with a Reflect spell just in time.

"Nick!" Haruka exclaimed, pointing towards the core of the asteroid - a shining keyhole had just revealed itself.

Saying nothing more, Nick pointed the Oathkeeper towards the keyhole, shooting a beam of light into it, thus sealing this world off from the Heartless forever.

All of a sudden, a new world portal opened right behind Nick.

"Another world?" Haruka asked.

"Worse!" Nick exclaimed. "It's Candracar! And it's in bad shape!"

"WHAT?" Maylin, Haruka, and Mina exclaimed, all at the same time.

"That can't be good!" Haruka exclaimed. "If Candracar falls, we're done for!"

"Then we'd better get moving!" Nick exclaimed, raising the Oathkeeper and charging into the portal, the girls following.

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Next time:

Chapter 9: Is It Backwards or Forwards? Change the Past to Save the Future!

Nick and the girls head back to Candracar, which is in big trouble. The Oracle instructs them to go to a very special world, where they meet up with some old friends to unravel a sinister plot...


	9. Change the Past to Save the Future!

"What happened here?"

That was pretty much the exact words that Maylin was thinking when she saw Candracar: completely in ruins.

"Something's very wrong here, girls," Nick noted. "Evil was never able to get here before, even after we took down the Veil all those years ago! What could have happened?"

Suddenly, a Neoshadow popped up out of nowhere, completely surprising the quartet of keyblade wielders.

"And there's HEARTLESS, too!" Haruka exclaimed, performing a spinning attack with Sweet Crest. "This is just like when Heatherfield was taken!"

"Well, I say we get through this place and find the Oracle! Maybe he knows what the heck is going on!" Nick shouted, performing a Blitz-style attack that wiped out the Neoshadow quickly.

With that said, Nick, Maylin, Haruka, and Mina began fighting their way up through the many floors of the Candracar palace, mowing down an immense number of Heartless along the way. After a while of fighting, they reached the top floor, where the Oracle was waiting.

"Your Majesty, we're back!" Haruka exclaimed, very out of breath from all the fighting.

"So soon?" the Oracle replied in his usual calm demeanor.

"Your Majesty, just what in the world are Heartless doing in Candracar?" Nick asked, cutting right to the chase.

"So they are the Heartless..." the Oracle pondered something. "Maybe something is wrong in the Auramere chambers..."

"Then we'd better check it out!" Nick exclaimed, heading out the nearby entrance, only to notice a huge swarm of Neoshadows blocking the way to the Auramere chambers.

"Get out of our way!" Nick shouted, drawing Fatal Crest and charging forward, plowing through the Heartless and clearing a safe pathway for the others.

Once the path was safe, the group entered the Auramere chambers, only to notice something very wrong: there were thorns twisting all around the once peaceful chamber, and what's more, three of the Aurameres were gone.

"This can not be good," the Oracle noted, walking up to the remaining Aurameres and studying them carefully. "Someone of evil intent is using an unorthodox method to break the security of our grand palace..."

"I wouldn't exactly call it 'unorthodox'," a mysterious, sinister voice responded from out of nowhere.

"Wait a second," Mina exclaimed, gripping Infinity Bullet tightly. "Is that who I think it is?"

"You guessed it, Guardian!" the voice responded, and suddenly, in front of the remaining Guardians, the silhouette of a prince-type figure appeared, carrying a very long sword. The long blade was a dead giveaway to the mysterious figure's identity.

"_Prince Phobos!!_" the keybearers exclaimed in unison.

"Correct," Phobos replied. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it, Guardians?"

"I never thought I'd see the likes of YOU again," Nick shot back, brandishing the Oathkeeper. "Just what the hell are you up to, Phobos?"

"Oh, nothing much," Phobos replied sarcastically. "Today, I'm out on a property venture. I want this grand castle for my own!"

"I'll just bet THAT'S why there are Heartless here!" Haruka exclaimed.

"You catch on quick," Phobos retorted. "You see, if I take out the Aurameres, this whole castle will fall to my rule! No one will be able to stop me!"

"Go ahead and try," Nick taunted. "You still have _us_ to deal with!"

"I'd like to see the likes of you stop me!" Phobos exclaimed, vanishing in a column of darkness.

The Oracle thought for a few seconds, then raised his hands into the air. Almost out of nowhere, a mysterious door appeared right in the center of the room.

"What's that for, Your Majesty?" Nick asked.

"This door, my fellow Guardian, is a gateway to a very special world. It is my belief that whatever is going on in this world may be responsible for what is happening to Candracar."

"I'll bet that's where Phobos is hiding!" Haruka wondered, heading towards the door.

"Hold on, Guardians. There are still some things I need to tell you," the Oracle explained. "Somewhere in that world is another door that is identical to this one. As long as it remains open, Candracar and all surrounding worlds are in grave danger. You must find the other door and lock it with your keyblades."

"Got it," Nick replied, twirling the Oathkeeper.

"One more thing," the Oracle continued. "You are heading into a very special world. While you are there, the nature of that world may tempt you to do something dark. You must resist that temptation at all costs."

"No problem, Your Majesty," Nick replied. "The only thing we'll be doing that's considered 'dark' is pounding Phobos' sorry butt into the ground."

Nick walked up to the door that the Oracle had created, and with a good deal of force, opened the doorway. "Let's do this, girls."

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(The past cannot be altered, but the future can be changed. Think of it as a sort of collateral.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
"_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart_"  
This Chapter: May 8th, 2007  
Summary: Nick and the girls head back to Candracar, which is in big trouble. The Oracle instructs them to go to a very special world, where they meet up with some old friends to unravel a sinister plot...  
World Exploration Theme (Candracar): "A Twinkle in the Sky" _Kingdom Hearts II _version  
World Exploration Theme (Timeless River): "Monochrome Dreams"  
World Battle Theme (Candracar): "Scherzo di Notte" _Kingdom Hearts II _version  
World Battle Theme (Timeless River): "Old Friends, Old Rivals"  
Miniboss Theme (Young Phobos/Escape Boat): "Rowdy Rumble"  
Boss Battle Theme (Prince Phobos): "The Force in You" from _Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories  
_Absent Silhouette Theme (Axel): "The 13th Struggle" from _Kingdom Hearts II_

Disclaimer: I do not own _W.I.T.C.H._ or _Kingdom Hearts_. They belong to Disney and Square Enix. Okay? Okay. Let's get into what is without a doubt my longest chapter yet!

Note: Nick's bringing back his old forms from _The Keyblade Warriors_ exclusively for this chapter, so in case you forgot, here's a rundown on which form focuses on what:

Brave Form focuses on up-close combat and quick physical attacks.  
Aquatic Form focuses on powerful magic attacks.  
Fire Form focuses on ranged combat.  
Terra Form focuses on ground combat.  
Breezy Form focuses on aerial combat.

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Chapter 9: Is it Backwards or Forwards? Change the Past to Save the Future!

In a mysterious black and white world, another door identical to the one back in Candracar began shaking, as if it was struggling to get itself open. After a couple seconds and a few cartoon-ish sound effects, the door opened, and out popped Nick, Mina, Maylin, and Haruka...

...though they all looked very different.

"Hey, look!" Haruka exclaimed, though her voice sounds a couple years younger and not too good quality-wise. "It's the Aurameres!"

Nick walked up to the Aurameres, but suddenly noticed that absolutely nothing in this mystery world had any color.

"What in the world is going on?" Nick asked himself. "Everything's black and white! And why do I feel a couple years younger all of a sudden?"

"Wait a minute!" Maylin exclaimed. "Why am I suddenly a 9-year-old again?"

Nick looked towards Maylin to confirm what she'd just said, and it was true: everyone present was two or three years younger.

"You know, I can't shake this odd feeling of déjà vu..." Haruka noted.

"Really? Have you been here before?" Nick asked, only to be interrupted by a young, about 10-year-old boy running by – someone that looked very familiar!

"Is that Phobos?" Mina asked.

The young Phobos stopped, clearly out of breath. He turned to the quartet.

"Hey, you kids! Have you seen any bad guys around here?"

Almost instantly, the keybearers pointed towards him. Young Phobos didn't look too happy.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Young Phobos exclaimed as Nick and the girls drew their keyblades. "You know, I don't have time to waste on punks like you!"

"Well, there's our villain," Nick noted as Young Phobos ran off towards an area marked as the Wharf.

"Who are you looking for?" another familiar voice asked. Everyone turned around and saw none other than Sora standing there, in his original clothes. What perplexed Nick was that Sora was glowing a soft tint of emerald green and was holding two keyblades, Kingdom Key in front of him and Oblivion behind his back. Nick suddenly recognized the way Sora was holding his keyblades – that was the same pose Nick used in Terra Form!

"Sora?" Nick asked. "How the heck did you drive into Terra Form?"

"That would be me," Cornelia's voice rang out.

"Cornelia? Is that you?" Nick exclaimed. "Where the heck are you?"

"Where does it look like?" Cornelia shot back. "Sora and I fused into Terra Form so we could get here!"

"The question I still have is HOW did you get here?" Nick continued.

"The Oracle sent us," Sora replied. "He figured you guys may need some help to stop whatever Phobos is up to."

"Let's get to the wharf! I saw Phobos heading that way!" Nick exclaimed, and together, the group ran off.

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At the aforementioned wharf, everyone came in just in time to see Young Phobos shouting inaudible curses at a mysterious, giant bird.

"Hey!" Nick shouted, drawing the Oathkeeper.

"MAN!" Young Phobos exclaimed, turning towards Sora and the Guardians. "What's you punks' beef with me anyway? You got some kinda bone to pick with me?"

"More than one!" was Nick's immediate reply.

"Them's fighting words!" Young Phobos exclaimed, raising his fists.

Nick was ready, simply holding the Oathkeeper in a fighting stance. Just as Young Phobos let out a battle cry and charged, Nick performed a swift evasion around the boy and uppercutted him into the air.

Maylin drew a spell coin and tossed it into the air. "Element! ICE!" As Maylin struck the coin with Chinese Spirit, the spell took effect, blasting Young Phobos with a gust of freezing wind.

Terra Form Sora took this opportunity and slammed both of his keyblades into the ground, causing a small mountain-type rock formation to burst from the ground under Young Phobos, sending him skyward again.

Nick quickly charged forward, nailing Young Phobos with an Ars Arcanum attack, putting an end to the rather short battle.

"Just who do you think you are?" Young Phobos exclaimed, falling down onto the ground.

"You know, something doesn't seem right," Maylin noted, walking up to the boy. "Are you sure you're Phobos?"

"Of course I am! I'm the captain of the steamboat that runs through this wharf!" Young Phobos shot back, though a pain in his upper back prevented him from saying any more.

"Guys, I think we may have made a mistake," Maylin said to the others.

"I'm starting to think the same thing," Nick noted. "He doesn't seem to have any kind of powers..."

Nick turned back to Young Phobos. "Sorry we attacked you like that, Captain Phobos."

"Yeah, well, if you're REALLY sorry, then go find the idiot that stole my steamboat!" Young Phobos exclaimed, leaving the area as best he could. Nick finally noticed something about the construction site in the distance.

"Girls? Do you or Sora recognize what they're building all the way over there?" Nick asked.

The others took a good look at the structure in the distance, and gave out a gasp of shock when they recognized it.

"Jumping jackrabbits! That's the Meridian Palace!" Haruka exclaimed, almost dropping her keyblade.

"Where exactly are we?" Mina asked.

"I'd like to know that myself," Nick replied, though a gasp of surprise from Haruka drew Nick's attention away. Haruka was pointing to a floating window nearby.

"What's this?" Nick asked, walking over and pulling the ripcord. The curtains on the window opened instantly, and a video seemed to be playing.

_In a mysterious black and white world, another door identical to the one back in Candracar began shaking, as if it was struggling to get itself open. _

_Now, we can see four windows identical to the one Nick opened earlier. However, different groups of Heartless are entering the windows. After a couple seconds and a few cartoon-ish sound effects, the door opened, and out popped Nick, Mina, Maylin, and Haruka..._

_...though they all looked very different._

"_Hey, look!" Haruka exclaimed, though her voice sounds a couple years younger and not too good quality-wise. "It's the Aurameres!"_

_Nick walked up to the Aurameres, but suddenly noticed that absolutely nothing in this mystery world had any color._

"_What in the world is going on?" Nick asked himself. "Everything's black and white! And why do I feel a couple years younger all of a sudden?"_

"_Wait a minute!" Maylin exclaimed. "Why am I suddenly a 9-year-old again?"_

_Nick looked towards Maylin to confirm what she'd just said, and it was true: everyone present was two or three years younger._

"_You know, I can't shake this odd feeling of déjà vu..." Haruka noted._

"_Really? Have you been here before?" Nick asked._

"That's weird," Maylin wondered. "Heartless going out..."

"...and us coming in," Nick finished for the Chinese girl.

Nick turned around and noticed the same windows from the odd video were now floating around in Auramere Hill.

"This just keeps getting weirder," Haruka stated.

"Let's go check them out," Nick replied, walking towards the first window.

"You may need some help," said yet another familiar voice. Nick turned around and saw the Guardian Spirits standing behind the group, each of their respective keyblades in hand.

"No way!" Haruka exclaimed. "Are you guys really the ancient Guardians?"

"I wouldn't exactly call us 'ancient' now, would I?" Cassidy joked.

"Anyways, we've got four windows to check out. We need to stop them," Nick noted. "Nerissa, how about you and I check out the first one?"

"Fine by me," Nerissa replied, twirling her Heart's Redemption keyblade in her hands. Together, the two entered the first window.

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_Palace Construction Site_

Nick and Nerissa came out of the first window, right in the heart of the construction site.

"So, this was Meridian Castle. Doesn't seem like much right now," Nerissa noted.

"Now, now, Nerissa, don't get any ideas," Nick teased, holding the Oathkeeper in a fighting stance just in case.

"Don't get your hair in a knot, kid. There's not a drop of darkness left in me," Nerissa replied.

"That's good to know," Nick continued, when all of a sudden, a Hammer Frame Heartless dropped down onto the scaffolding they were standing on.

"What the...?" Nerissa exclaimed. Just then, from completely out of nowhere, a young girl with spiky light blonde hair, wearing an ice blue dress came swinging down on a giant rope. The girl extended her feet in the midst of her swing, slamming into the Hammer Frame and knocking it clear off of the scaffolding.

"Wait. Was that Queen Elyon?" Nerissa wondered.

Nick looked upwards and noticed a group of Hammer Frames standing on the beams above the duo.

"Heartless! I knew it!"

Nick waved over to the young girl, who gave a peace sign. "You really saved the day! Now, let's get those Heartless!"

Nick charged forward, taking out the first Hammer Frame with a jumping spin attack, while Nerissa summoned bolts of energy and shot them for the Heartless, wiping out a sizable amount of them. However, more just kept coming.

"Hey, Nerissa?" Nick asked.

"Yeah?"

"I wanna try something," Nick replied, pulling out his Drive orb. "You and the other ancients command the same elements that the current generation does, right?"

"Of course we do. Any particular reason?" Nerissa wondered.

"You'll see. Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!" Nick shouted, pools of silver light exploding from him just as Nerissa disappeared from sight.

When the flash cleared, Nick was in Brave Form, wielding both Oathkeeper and Heart's Redemption. The only thing that was different was that Nick's clothes didn't change color and that he was glowing a soft tint of red.

"Yes! I knew it would work!" Nick exclaimed.

"What worked?" Nerissa's voice rang out.

"My Drive orb allows me to fuse with my friends and fellow Guardians to take on all new forms. This form was originally intended for Will, but since she's not around, I figured fusing with you might have the same effect," Nick explained.

"Wow. You really thought this through, huh?" Nerissa replied.

"You could say that. Now, let's take care of these Heartless!" Brave Form Nick exclaimed, charging forward. When he neared the Hammer Frames, he began attacking wildly, ending in a combo finisher that produced a massive red shockwave, destroying the remaining Heartless.

Once the dust had settled, Nick reverted out of Brave Form, just in time to see a second Window of Time right behind him.

"What is that?" Nerissa asked.

"We're about to find out," Nick replied, walking up and pulling the curtain cord.

"_I don't want to hear it from you," a mysterious figure exclaimed. "You have failed me time and again, and what's worse, you foolishly thought you could take my place while I was away! We are through! So help me, there'll be no place for you when our time comes!"_

_The shadowed figure walked off, holding a very familiar staff. "Useless imbecile..."_

"_But... but I..."_

"Someone sounded pretty angry," Maylin noted once Nick and Nerissa had returned to Auramere Hill.

"I recognized the first figure as Lord Diablos, that guy Lexaeus told me about," Nick explained, "but who was that other guy?"

"Something about his voice sounded pretty familiar," Haruka wondered.

"Anyways," Nick stated, twirling the Oathkeeper in his hands. "This place is okay, but we've still got three more spots to check."

"Plus THAT, whatever it is," Cassidy noted, pointing to a silver orb that had just appeared above the group. Nick knew what that meant.

"This one's all mine, girls," Nick said, brandishing Oathkeeper and hopping into the orb.

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Nick came out of the orb into the Basement Hallway of the old mansion in Twilight Town, noting that the color had returned and he was back to his normal age and uniform.

"You've been doing pretty good so far, kid," a new voice rang out as a black-robed man with long, spiky red hair, walked in.

"Axel. I figured," Nick shot back.

"You really do remember me?" Axel exclaimed. "I'm SO FLATTERED!"

Suddenly, a spherical wall of fire shot up around the two combatants, leaving Nick with no other course of action but to fight.

"But you're TOO LATE!" Axel shouted.

"Oh, am I?" Nick replied, drawing Oathkeeper and Fatal Crest, twirling them around in his hands before holding them in a fighting stance.

"Two?" Axel asked in surprise before summoning his pinwheels, flashing a sinister grin towards Nick.

"Come on, Axel. Roxas fought you this exact same way. Why do you think this time will be any different?" Nick taunted.

"Come here, kid. I'll make it all stop," Axel taunted before holding his pinwheels out.

"BURN, BABY!"

Suddenly, the floor around the two turned into a bed of flaming rocks, slowly sapping Nick's strength.

Unfazed by Axel's sneaky trick, Nick began the attack, bringing his keyblades up just in time to block a double slash from Axel's pinwheels. Taking the offensive, Nick began attacking for all he was worth, ending in a powerful finisher that sent Axel into the air.

Nick leapt for the flying Axel, his weapons in a fighting stance. For a few seconds, pinwheels and keyblades clashed at unholy speeds. After the assault, Nick dashed forward and used his keyblades to slam Axel into the ground, emitting pillars of light and clearing away the fiery floor.

Before Nick could get in another combo, Axel jumped behind the wall of flames that surrounded the arena. Nick kept his weapons at the ready.

From completely out of nowhere, Axel came back into the arena, slamming his pinwheels into the ground and creating a shockwave. Nick quickly retaliated by leaping into the air and throwing Fatal Crest at Axel in a Strike Raid-style attack.

Once Axel regained his balance, he began powering up for his desperation attack. "You won't forget this!" Axel exclaimed, tossing his pinwheels around many times in an attempt to literally turn Nick into a garden salad. Nick dodged the ones he could, guarding against the others.

"Got it memorized?" With that, Axel slammed his pinwheels into the floor one more time and creating a wall of fire that seemed to track Nick to an extent. Nick grinned, thinking of a way he could use that to his advantage.

Nick began running in circles, letting the fire wall chase him around. Axel stood there, clueless to Nick's plan.

Suddenly, Nick did a quick skid turn and charged towards Axel, the fire wall tracking him all the way. At the last second, Nick leapt over Axel, and the fire wall slammed into the Flurry of Dancing Flames, knocking him off-balance.

Nick turned around and began attacking again, ending in a combo finisher in which he literally took a step and went flying straight through Axel. That was the end of the battle.

Axel let his pinwheels drop as the fire wall surrounding the arena finally cleared out.

"Not bad, kid."

With that said, Axel disappeared, leaving only a glowing red crystal.

Nick put his keyblades away and warped out of the arena.

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Back in Timeless River, Nick hopped out of the Absent Silhouette orb and back to Auramere Hill.

"Come on, Nick! Let's go check out the next window!" Cassidy exclaimed. Her impatience was one of the things Nick remembered the most about his old friend.

"All right, Cassidy, don't get your wings in a knot," Nick replied, dashing forward as quickly as he could.

"You know, you look pretty cute when you're three years younger," Cassidy noted.

"Oh, stop..."

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_Lilliput_

The second Window of Time led to an incredibly small city.

"What the heck...?" Nick exclaimed. "The town shrunk!!"

"Or do you think we just got _bigger?_" Cassidy asked, taking a look at the incredibly small town.

Nick walked forward a few steps, coming upon a tower with many cannons sticking out of it.

"Hey, look at the cute little toy cannons!" Cassidy squealed, flying over to check it out.

That was when Nick noticed the younger Elyon waving to them.

"What's she trying to say?" Cassidy asked.

Nick didn't have a chance to find out what, because at that very minute, several Aeroplane Heartless flew into the Lilliput in a "V" formation.

"It's the Heartless again!" Nick exclaimed, pulling out his Drive orb again.

"Cassidy? You up for a little tag-team?"

"I'd be delighted," Cassidy replied.

"Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!!" Nick called out.

When the flash cleared, Nick was in Aquatic Form, glowing a soft tint of blue and wielding Cassidy's Star.

"Now THIS brings back memories, doesn't it?" Aquatic Form Nick stated before aiming Cassidy's Star and shooting barrage after barrage of magic bullets for each of the Heartless that tried to get close to him.

Suddenly, Aquatic Form Nick could see an Aeroplane flying towards the young Elyon.

"Oh, no you don't!" Nick shouted, gliding towards young Elyon.

Just before the Aeroplane could strike at the young princess, Aquatic Form Nick grabbed the Heartless by its propeller. This caused it to stop in its tracks. Before it could break free, Nick spun it around and tossed it into the sky, finishing up with a powerful Zantetsuken attack.

Once the coast was clear, Nick reverted out of Aquatic Form.

"How'd you like that?" Nick exclaimed.

The young Elyon ran up and quickly shook Nick's hand before dashing off.

"Hey, Nick?" Cassidy stated, pointing to another window.

"Okay, let's see what this one does," Nick noted, walking up and pulling the drawstring.

"_What is his problem?" the familiar voice asked himself. "He didn't have to say THAT about me. I mean, I HAVE slipped up every now and then, mostly because of those infernal GUARDIANS..."_

_The mystery man walked forward. "I can still remember... all the way back then... when I still loved my sister like a brother should... I was working on the steamboat service that went to and from the castle they were building... If only I could go back to those days... I'd show Diablos a thing or two..."_

_Suddenly, a flash emitted behind the man. He turned around and saw a door sitting there. Out of curiosity, he opened it, and the video suddenly faded to white._

"_Hey, is that my...?"_

"A door?" Nick wondered once he and Cassidy had returned to Auramere Hill.

"It looks kinda familiar," Maylin replied.

"That's the same door that the Oracle created for us to get here," Haruka explained.

"So, it should come straight here, right?" Nick stated.

"Yeah! I... I think..." Maylin replied, a bit confused.

"Come on, let's check it out!" Nick exclaimed.

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Back in the present time, over at Meridian Castle, the grown-up Queen Elyon can be seen sitting on her queen-sized bed, the keychain of her Diamond Dust keyblade resting on a necklace around her neck.

"I haven't heard anything about Phobos recently," Elyon wondered to herself. "Why does that worry me?"

Elyon looked out the nearby window. It was a beautiful sight to behold in the early morning, as the two moons of Meridian were slowly giving way to the bright sun. Out in the distance, a heart-shaped moon, the very representation of Kingdom Hearts, glowed like a mirror.

"I'd better see if I can find that brother of mine before he causes any trouble. Nick already has enough on his mind, since Will betrayed them and Irma just disappeared..." With that, Elyon grabbed her necklace, and it formed into her Diamond Dust keyblade.

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_Scene of the Fire_

Nick and Halinor quickly shot into battle stances upon hearing blaring alarms.

"Fire!" Nick shouted, pointing towards a wobbling building that was on fire.

Suddenly, young Elyon ran up, trying to protect the burning building from an abundance of Heartless.

"Come on! Her Majesty needs our help!" Nick exclaimed, drawing the Oathkeeper.

A bunch of Hot Rods converged on the duo.

"Shall we?" Nick stated to Halinor, who nodded in understanding. Nick pulled out his Drive orb and transformed into Fire Form, telekinetically wielding Oathkeeper and Taranee's backup keyblade, Lionheart.

"Like they always say - fight fire with fire!" Fire Form Nick shouted, charging for the Hot Rods.

The Hot Rods didn't take too well to that and began driving themselves towards the fusion warrior at incredible speeds, but Fire Form Nick only swung his hands in attacking poses. The keyblades reacted to his movement and slashed at the Hot Rods before they could get in any damage.

"Okay, time to finish this!" Fire Form Nick shouted, performing a backflip and twirling on his hands.

"FIRAGA!!" Fire Form Nick shouted, his keyblades twirling around him as a massive assortment of fireballs spun around him. The Hot Rods tried to get an attack in edgewise, but they only met their end at the massive fireballs that Fire Form Nick had casted.

Once they were all gone, young Elyon ran up, shook Nick's hand, and dashed away again.

Once Nick had reverted out of Fire Form, he noticed another window nearby.

"Let's see here..." Nick wondered, pulling the drawstring.

"Why does it occur to me that these before-the-window segments are getting kind of repetitive?" Halinor asked.

"I think it's writer's block, but they don't need to know that," Nick stated before taking a look at the video playing in the window.

"_Fascinating..." Lord Diablos stated, taking a look at what lay behind the door that Phobos had discovered. "This appears to be a portal to the past..."_

"_Yeah, it was just the strangest thing," Phobos replied. "And I've seen enough strange things in my time!"_

"_Stop gawking, you fool! And start thinking of a way that we can use it to our advantage."_

"_Right," Phobos stated._

"_Now then... I suppose I could give you one more chance to redeem yourself."_

"_Really? Oh, thank you, Lord Diablos! I swear I won't let you OR the Thirteenth Order down!" Phobos praised. "So, what do we do?"_

"_Patience, Phobos."_

_Lord Diablos studied the scene behind the door. "Well, what have we here? If it isn't the Meridian Castle... now we can take Meridian AND Candracar from those fools, but we'll have to proceed with the utmost of care..."_

"Diablos!" Sora exclaimed. (Author's Note: I didn't forget about Sora, okay, guys?)

"That jerk knew all along!" Maylin shouted.

"Let me see now..." Haruka pondered. "If that door's connected to the past..."

"Are you blind?" Maylin retorted. "That door leads here!"

"Then... then that means we're in the past!" Mina exclaimed.

"Wow. If we're in the past..." Nick wondered.

"...then we can change the future!" Maylin finished.

"Wait, wait, wait!! Remember what the Oracle said? He's got faith in us! We have to resist temptation no matter what!"

Nick and Maylin laughed.

"Aw, I was only kidding!" Maylin replied.

"Who in the world would want to change the future, anyway?" Nick continued. "So, what do we do now?"

"Let's see. Doors, bad guys..." Mina pondered. "Oh, man, my head hurts! I hate time travel!"

"Well, at least we know we're on the right track!" Nick explained. "We've only got one more window to check. Maybe we'll find another clue."

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_Elyon's House_

Nick was the first to notice that there was a black hole in Elyon's house, and it was sucking up all the furniture. Young Elyon was in a panic.

"Come on! We have to protect Elyon's house from that black hole..."

Suddenly, a pack of Rapid Thrusters appeared.

"...and from THAT!" Nick finished up as he pulled out his Drive orb and fused with Kadma, transforming into Terra Form, wielding Earth Spirit and Seismic Star, while Cornelia (who had long since separated from Sora) ran off to protect the furniture that remained.

"Come on!" Terra Form Nick taunted, twirling his keyblades around him and dispatching any Rapid Thrusters that dared to approach.

"Nick! Pick up the pace! This black hole is way too strong!" Cornelia shouted, straining to hold the furniture with her telekinesis under the pull of the black hole. "I don't know much longer I can hold this stupid recliner set!"

"Element! EARTH!!" Terra Form Nick shouted, slamming his keyblades into the ground and creating a massive tremor that knocked the Rapid Thrusters to the ground. Nick quickly finished them off with some rapid keyblade combos.

Once the last Heartless was gone, the black hole dissipated, and Cornelia released her telekinetic hold on the furniture.

"One more window," Nick stated after reverting out of Terra Form. "Let's see what we can get."

"_Listen well, Phobos. On the other side of this portal, they're about to begin construction on that wretched castle," Lord Diablos explained._

"_But until then, the castle's Aurameres lie in wait, with all of their power still contained. Those elemental spheres are the very thing that prevents us from entering that castle. You know what must be done?"_

"_Yes, Lord Diablos."_

"_Go, then. Time to prove your worth. And don't you DARE fail me again!"_

_With that, Lord Diablos disappeared. Phobos pondered for a few seconds._

"_Of course! I just have to steal the Aurameres! Then, Meridian will be easy pickings! But first, I may as well get my old boat back..."_

Back at Auramere Hill, the Ancient Guardians (along with Cornelia) had split to check on the situation in Candracar, while Nick, Sora, and the girls discussed the final Window of Time.

"It was Phobos after all!" Nick exclaimed.

"He tricked us!!" Maylin shouted, angrily swinging Chinese Spirit.

"Still, something doesn't seem quite right..." Haruka wondered.

"You know, you're right. The Phobos we met here had kind of an attitude, but he didn't seem like a bad guy..."

Suddenly, the group noticed the real Prince Phobos holding his trademark longsword.

"Now the castle's as good as ours!"

With that, Prince Phobos raced off towards the Waterway.

"That's the Phobos we know!" Nick shouted, drawing the Oathkeeper.

"OH, NO!!" Haruka shouted, pointing towards the Auramere pedestal - the Aurameres were gone!

"No way!" Nick exclaimed. "But that means..."

"They're going to fill Candracar AND Meridian with darkness! We've gotta hurry!" Haruka cried out, drawing Sweet Crest.

Suddenly, Young Phobos raced by the group.

"Hold it right there, buddy!" Nick shouted.

"No way, pipsqueak!" Young Phobos shot back. "I finally found the idiot that stole my steamboat!"

"Yeah! It was you!" Maylin replied.

"Right! Me!" Young Phobos stated triumphantly. He almost facefaulted upon saying that. "No, no! It wasn't me! Just some freak who looks like me!" With that, Young Phobos raced off.

"Aw, man, which is it?" Nick shouted, holding his head in frustration.

"Come on, people! Get the lead out!" Maylin shouted, racing for the waterway.

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"WAIIIIIT!"

"Shut up!"

Nick and the gang stopped in the Waterway upon seeing both Young Phobos and Prince Phobos duking it out. The Young Phobos wasn't doing too well.

"Your future's on the line, buddy, so back off and give me the boat!" Prince Phobos exclaimed, punching Young Phobos out of the scene and hopping onto his old boat. A few seconds later, Prince Phobos drove the boat out of the Guardian's reach, the Aurameres locked up in a cage. "You freaks couldn't follow me if you wanted to!" Phobos taunted.

"Unfortunately, I think he's right!" Maylin exclaimed. "None of us can fly OR swim!"

"If only I had Hay Lin with me..." Nick stated. "Breezy Form is our only hope, and she's not with me..."

_I'm still with you in spirit, Nick._

Nick perked up at hearing Hay Lin's voice.

_Nick... I know Will took my heart, but that doesn't mean I can't help you in spirit. Nick... all you need to do is believe that I'm with you, and you can do it. Just believe in me..._

Nick held his hands out, silver light pooling around him.

"I believe in you, Hay Lin!!"

There was a massive flash of silver that filled the entire waterway.

Once it cleared, Nick was in Breezy Form, glowing a soft shade of aquamarine, and dual-wielding Oathkeeper and Sword of the Storm, Oathkeeper telekinetically.

"How? You shouldn't be able to use that form without your precious Air Guardian!" Prince Phobos exclaimed in complete shock.

"To the Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions, NOTHING is impossible if you simply believe!" Breezy Form Nick shouted, floating into the air and charging towards Prince Phobos.

Phobos tried to counter, but in his shock, he couldn't get his longsword around in time. Breezy Form Nick assaulted Phobos with a rapid series of aerial spinning combos before finishing with a beautifully executed Breezy Lance, Nick pouring all the power he could into the promise he'd made to Hay Lin and all of the Guardians.

Once the finishing blow had been dealt, Prince Phobos fell into the water, quickly sinking.

"YES!" Maylin exclaimed, cheering for Nick's victory.

"I promised you, Hay Lin. I'll always believe in you," Nick stated, reverting out of Breezy Form.

"Let's go put the Aurameres back where they belong!" Sora exclaimed, and together, the group ran back to Auramere Hill...

...only to find Prince Phobos waiting for them, longsword and all.

"You will not be leaving here alive, Guardians! I will not fail the master again!" Phobos exclaimed.

"You go tell Diablos that if he wants to take Kingdom Hearts, he's going to have to go through ALL of us!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Gladly," Phobos challenged.

Nick began the battle with a leaping overhead slash that was quickly blocked by Phobos.

Maylin rushed in and performed a graceful spinning attack that was also stopped by Phobos.

As the battle wore on, it seemed that nothing could get through Phobos' defenses. He seemed stronger than he'd ever been before.

The battle lasted quite a while, and soon enough, the group was exhausted after having each and every one of their attacks stopped cold.

Nick had actually collapsed from exhaustion. He'd never fought such a hard battle before...

"Now do you realize I am unstoppable? The only one who can truly defeat me is someone of the same royal bloodline as I have!"

"Would that be me, dear brother?"

Phobos stopped short upon hearing that, only to have the familiar Diamond Dust keyblade slam into him, toppling him to the ground.

At that precise moment, Queen Elyon herself, draped in a beautiful ice blue robe, entered the fray, catching her flailing keyblade.

"I knew I'd find you here, brother," Queen Elyon taunted.

"Dear sister. You are a fool for trying to challenge me."

"I know you're not at your full power yet, Phobos. I've had more than enough time to recover since the Chasers incident. You're going down!"

"Shall we see?"

With those words, brother and sister began their brawl.

Phobos swung his longsword in a brutal vertical attack, but Elyon easily stopped it with a quick reversal. She leaped into the air and aimed a powerful horizontal slash that struck its target and knocked Phobos to the ground.

However, Phobos was quickly back on his feet, tossing his own longsword towards his sister.

"Element! ICE!" Elyon shouted, calling upon her keyblade's elemental power and freezing Phobos' sword into a block of ice.

Elyon took that moment to charge for her brother, swinging her keyblade all the while.

"Fools rush into battle, don't they?" Phobos taunted, calling his sword back to his grip, just like a keyblade.

"Oh, I'm no fool, Phobos," Elyon shot back. "I know your weak spots now."

"I'd like to see you try!"

Elyon suddenly stopped abruptly, raising her keyblade into the air.

_What is she planning?_ Phobos thought.

"Element! LIGHT!!" Elyon chanted, pointing her keyblade towards Phobos. In an instant, responding to Elyon's command of her natural element, a huge sphere of light burst from the tip of the keyblade, shining down on Phobos. The dark prince instantly screamed in pain from the contact of light and dark.

"You... you little..." Phobos strained to say. The light elemental attack had severely weakened him, just as Elyon had planned.

"Who's the fool now, dear brother?" Elyon stated, shifting back into fighting stance.

"Count yourself lucky this time," Phobos taunted, struggling to stand up. "Next time, I won't be so merciful."

And with that, Phobos disappeared in a swirl of dark feathers.

Once Prince Phobos was gone, Elyon turned to the exhausted Nick and his companions. Raising Diamond Dust, she called upon her natural element.

"_Healing Light!!_"

Once those words had left Elyon's mouth, spheres of light surrounded each of the chosen ones for a few seconds. Nick was the first to stand up.

"Wow. Thanks, Elyon. You're a lifesaver," Nick stated, picking up the Oathkeeper.

"It was nothing," Elyon replied.

"So, what happened to Phobos?" Sora asked once he'd picked himself up.

"I kicked his butt, and he left in a hurry," Elyon replied. "Hey, what's that door over there?"

Nick quickly turned his attention to the door that Elyon had pointed out: it was a near-identical copy of the one that they had used to get here.

"Nick!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Right," Nick replied, holding the Oathkeeper towards the door. A few seconds later, a keyhole appeared in the center of the door. Focusing his power, Nick shot a beam of light from the Oathkeeper that locked the door to Timeless River, ensuring its safety from the forces of evil.

"Mission completed... right?" Maylin asked, brushing off her outfit.

"Not quite. We still have one more thing to do," Nick replied.

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Back at Auramere Hill, Nick quickly replaced the Aurameres that had been stolen by Phobos, and they each regained their luster.

"I bet Candracar's safe now," Haruka wondered.

"We shouldn't have to worry about Phobos for a while," Elyon noted. "His pride is pretty easily broken."

"Well, if we're all done here, let's head on out," Maylin stated.

Together, the group exited Timeless River through the same door they had come through.

Back at Candracar, which was completely repaired, the door there opened, and the keybearers walked out, and were greeted by the Oracle.

"Well done, chosen wielders of the keyblade," the Oracle stated. "You have saved the palace from a fate most cruel."

"It was nothing, Your Majesty," Nick replied. "All in a day's work."

"Now, I hope you refrained yourself from anything reckless while you were there?"

"Nothing to worry about, Your Majesty," Nick reassured.

"Good. Now, then, I have a special gift for you, Nick. Consider it a thank-you present for everything you have done for us," the Oracle explained.

"Really?" Nick asked in surprise before being lifted off of the ground. His clothes began glowing a bright silver, like they always do before he transforms.

Nick threw his arms out, and that familiar silver light exploded from him.

Once the flash had cleared, Nick had changed form again, but the clothes he wore in this form surprised him.

"Hey! Why am I wearing Sora's old clothes?" Nick asked no one in particular. It was true – Sora's old clothes were the outfit for this particular form. The only differences were the silver shoulder pads, the red pant legs being a bit longer and having the Kingdom Hearts crest adorned on them, and these clothes fit much better. Nick could also feel a set of very familiar magical energies flowing through him.

"Wow," Nick stated after landing on the floor. "What's this familiar energy I feel?"

"That is the magic of the Guardian Spirits," the Oracle explained. "Your new form allows you to perform many of Sora's old moves and to use the magic of the Guardian Spirits as you wish."

"Cool!" Limit Form Nick exclaimed. Deciding to give it a try, Nick held out his hand, and concentrated. After a few seconds, a powerful gust of wind shot forth from his outstretched palm.

"Wow! I really _do_ have command over their powers!" Nick exclaimed, quite excited about this new form.

"Hey, Nick? I think there's another world that needs us," Maylin noted, pointing towards a portal that had just opened behind the group.

"All right then, let's go," Nick replied, following his friends into the portal.

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Author's Note: WHEW! That was a lot of typing! Anyways, here's the dirt on Nick's new form.

NEW FORM!

Name: Limit Form  
Partner: None  
Focus: A form that channels the Guardian Spirits into elemental power.  
Keyblades: Two (default: Oathkeeper and Kingdom Key)  
Abilities: Sonic Blade (rush an enemy at high speeds), Strike Raid (hurl the keyblade at a far-away enemy), Ars Arcanum (a formidable barrage of attacks), Ragnarok (fire streams of energy towards aerial enemies), Slapshot (a rising vertical attack), Dodge Slash (an attack that deals damage to all nearby enemies), Slide Dash (close in on a far-away enemy), Aerial Sweep (leap at an airborne enemy and strike a mighty blow), Aerial Spiral (closes distance to airborne enemy with a flipping attack), Hurricane Period (a powerful finisher that blows away any nearby enemies), Zantetsuken (a powerful finisher that can disable any weapon)  
Special Abilities: Nick is able to command all the elemental powers that the Guardians control.  
Advancing Form Ability: Dodge Roll (dive and roll to evade attack)

Inspired by _Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+_, Nick's newest transformation is Limit Form. As its name implies, Limit attacks are one of the main attributes. Nick can use many of Sora's old abilities, as well as command all of the magic that the Guardians use.

Next time:

Chapter 10: Sidequesting Adventures, Part 2! Clearing the Absent Silhouette!  
Back in Port Mystic, Nick and a grown-up Dorie go head to head against Roxas and Sakura. After that, Luxord appears in Taisho Era Japan, and he seems to be hiding something...


	10. Sidequesting Adventures, Part 2!

Stepping out of the portal, Nick was the first to notice that they had returned to a world they'd visited before; Port Mystic, to be precise.

"That's odd," Nick wondered. "Why are we back in Port Mystic?"

"I know we sealed the keyhole here," Haruka noted. "But I'm still getting this strange feeling..."

"We'd better split up," Mina proposed. "That way, we should be able to find the source faster."

"Good idea, Mina," Nick replied. "Haruka, you head to the west. Mina, you take the north side. Maylin, you go east. I'll take downtown."

That said, Nick and the gang split up and went their separate ways.

In the downtown area, Nick began looking for any signs of a disturbance in the world's aura. So far, everything seemed all right.

"I wonder if it was a false alarm..." Nick wondered as he continued his search.

After about 20 minutes, Nick was contemplating heading back to the suburbs, until a flash of silver caught his eye. Nick quickly turned around and noticed a silver orb floating in-between a nearby alleyway.

"Of course," Nick stated, walking up to the orb, which clearly resembled the Absent Silhouette orbs that he'd seen recently. This orb had three keyblades on it. The first two Nick recognized as Oathkeeper and Oblivion, which meant that Roxas was the first opponent. The third keyblade on the orb resembled Diamond Dust, Elyon's keyblade, only this one was a shade darker and the keychain design was different.

"Could that be Sakura?" Nick asked, vividly remembering that during the Keyblade Wars, Phobos had tried to turn Elyon into a Heartless by corrupting the Crown of Light. He'd succeeded for a short while, until Nick and the gang had encountered them after defeating Vexen. Nick had been able to purify the crown before any lasting damage had been done.

When they had journeyed to Castle Oblivion in hopes of stopping Organization XIII, Nick and the gang had encountered someone very similar to Elyon wearing a black Organization robe. The mysterious look-alike had introduced herself as Sakura, the Crown of Meridian; Elyon's Nobody.

As Nick, Sora, and the Guardians made their way through the card-worlds of Castle Oblivion, Elyon had faced off with Sakura, eventually defeating her.

Nick had remembered Elyon telling him that Sakura had something of a crush on Roxas, which alone was odd enough, since Nobodies had little, if any, actual emotion.

"So, it's a double battle they want, huh?" Nick stated to himself, preparing to jump into the orb. A distinctively familiar voice stopped him before he could.

"Is that you, Nick?"

Nick turned around. His old friend Dorie Goodwyn was standing right behind him, though she seemed a few years older.

"Dorie! You look a little different," Nick noted.

"I guess it must be because of the magic in the air," Dorie noted, holding her magic wand, the Sweet Poron, in her left hand.

"Hey, Nick? I never got a chance to thank you properly for saving my life back there," Dorie explained, referring to Nick and the girls' first visit to Port Mystic, when Will had shown up and nearly disposed of Dorie. Nick had saved Dorie at the last minute with a special power that the Oathkeeper seemed to radiate whenever there was a crisis situation.

"Is there anything I could do to repay you?"

"I think there might be. You see this orb?" Nick replied, pointing towards the Absent Silhouette orb.

"Yeah. What is it?"

"There's two members of a group called 'Organization XIII' waiting for me in there, and I'm not sure I can take them both on my own. Could you help me out?"

"I'd love to," Dorie responded.

"Okay, then. Before we go, let me give you something," Nick continued, holding out his free hand. Almost instantaneously, his backup keyblade, Divine Rose, appeared in his hands.

"Here, take this. You can use it to fight," Nick stated, handing Divine Rose to Dorie, who took it and held it in a fighting stance, similar to Will's fighting pose (one hand sticking out, the other holding the keyblade forward).

"I don't think I've ever used one of these things before," Dorie noted, studying the keyblade.

"Trust me, Dorie, the keyblade knows. You'll pick up a good fighting style as we go along," Nick reassured.

"Thanks, Nick," Dorie replied.

"Shall we?"

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(Worlds are just like us, in a sense. They have hearts, they can feel when something's wrong, and at times, they can fight back.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: May 15, 2007  
Summary: Back in Port Mystic, Nick and a grown-up Dorie go head to head against Roxas and Sakura. After that, Luxord appears in Taisho Era Japan, and he seems to be hiding something...  
World Exploration Theme 1 (Port Mystic): "Welcome to Wonderland"  
Absent Silhouette Theme 1 (Roxas and Sakura): "The Other Promise" from _Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+  
_World Exploration Theme 2 (Taisho Era, Japan): "A Very Small Wish"  
Absent Silhouette Theme 2 (Luxord): "The 13th Struggle"

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing used in this story except for my characters and created keyblades. _W.I.T.C.H._ and _Kingdom Hearts_ are copyright Disney and Square Enix. _Ojamajo Doremi_ is copyright 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, and whoever licenses it in their country. _Steel Angel Kurumi_ is copyright ADV Films. Can we get on with this now?

BTW, check my profile page in the next few days for previews of stories coming from me this summer!

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Chapter 10: Sidequesting Adventures, Part 2! Clearing the Absent Silhouette!

Coming out of the orb, Nick and Dorie stepped into the area Nick immediately recognized as the Station of Serenity. Just a couple feet away, there were two black-hooded figures waiting for Nick and Dorie.

"Are they the ones you were telling me about?" Dorie asked.

"Yeah," Nick responded, holding the Oathkeeper in a fighting stance.

"You came after all," Sakura taunted. "I was beginning to think you'd chickened out."

"And miss the fight of the century?" Nick shot back. "You must be kidding."

"All right, then," Roxas continued, drawing his Oathkeeper and Oblivion. "Let's get into it."

With that, the battle began.

Roxas was already on the offensive, leaping back and spinning his keyblades. Quick as a flash, Roxas struck, creating a dual shockwave. Nick swiftly dodged the attack and charged right for Roxas. Unfortunately, the Key of Destiny anticipated the move and leaped into the air, turning into a spinning keyblade tornado of sorts and striking the floor right where Nick was, knocking the keybearer off balance.

Meanwhile, Dorie and Sakura were facing each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" Dorie taunted.

"I could say the same for you," Sakura shot back, holding her Dark Crystal keyblade close to her.

After a couple of seconds, it was Sakura who made the first move, turning into a mass of light (of sorts) and charging for Dorie. The young apprentice witch saw the move coming and did a sort of 360 spin before bringing Divine Rose down, trapping Sakura's keyblade.

As Sakura struggled to wrench Dark Crystal from Divine Rose's hold, Dorie saw her chance, pulling Divine Rose back and knocking Sakura skyward with a swift spin attack. Out of instinct, Dorie held her hand into the sky. As if by reflex, Dark Crystal came flying into Dorie's possession.

"How... how did you do that?" Sakura asked, quite visibly surprised that someone had taken her keyblade from her.

"I guess you could call it 'instinct'," Dorie replied, Dark Crystal floating a few inches behind her.

Dorie stole a quick glance towards the other side of the battlefield; Nick and Roxas were really going at it, trading attack after attack with their keyblades. Stars and sparks flew as keyblades clashed.

Just then, Roxas lost his balance and began falling. Nick saw his opportunity, knocking Roxas high into the air with a powerful vertical attack. Just like with Sakura, Roxas' keyblades came flying out of his hands from the force of this attack.

Not wasting any time, Nick raised his free hand. Roxas' Oathkeeper and Oblivion came flying into his possession.

"Wow. You two are quite skilled," Roxas noted.

"We make a habit of it," Nick replied, drawing his Fatal Crest keyblade as well. Dorie noted to herself that Nick looked quite intimidating with four keyblades in his possession.

With a mighty battle cry, Nick charged forward, his keyblades trailing behind him.

Suddenly, Roxas thrust his left hand out, shooting a powerful laser beam for Nick. Said beam was easily deflected by Fatal Crest. Nick noticed that whenever he performed an attack with Roxas' keyblades in his possession, they would attack all on their own.

"This may be bad," Sakura noted to Roxas. "They took our keyblades!"

"True, but there's still that other trick we learned," Roxas replied. Nick and Dorie stayed cautious, keyblades at the ready.

"You mean...?" Sakura continued, quite surprised at what Roxas was referring to.

"Exactly."

"Hello? If you two would be so kind as to stop blabbing to each other, we could finish this fight!" Nick exclaimed, getting just the slightest bit impatient.

Just then, Dorie was the first to notice that both Roxas and Sakura were brimming with dark energy.

_That can't be good,_ Dorie thought, readying herself for whatever the two Nobodies were planning.

"_Shadows of Oblivion!!_" Roxas and Sakura suddenly called out, disappearing from sight.

Before Nick or Dorie could locate them, Roxas and Sakura came back into view, rushing towards the two at superluminal speeds. Each attack the Key of Destiny and Crown of Meridian made caused a sizable amount of damage, as well as knocking the two around in the air like rag dolls.

Suddenly, Nick noticed something: whenever one of them reappeared for another attack, their guard went down as they raised their weapon.

Taking advantage of this golden opportunity, Nick reached out and took hold of Sakura's arm before she could strike. Nick began spinning her around, throwing her right into Roxas just as he reappeared. This surprise attack caused the two Nobodies to crash into each other, completely out of synch.

Dropping to the glass-tiled floor of the Station of Serenity, Nick charged forward as the two were falling. Charging his keyblade with his elemental power, Nick threw it for the flailing Nobodies like a boomerang. The second the Oathkeeper struck, everything faded to white for a few seconds.

Once the flash had cleared, Roxas and Sakura stood still for a moment, their keyblades having returned to their rightful owners.

"Did we do it?" Dorie asked.

"I think so," Nick replied.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, both Roxas and Sakura disappeared, leaving behind their Absent Silhouette orb and Sakura's Dark Crystal keyblade. Dorie took a few steps towards it, and the mystic blade instantly flew into her free hand. A couple seconds passed, and the two were warped out of the arena.

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"Wow. That was actually a challenge," Nick noted once he and Dorie had returned to Port Mystic.

"I haven't had that much fun in a long time," Dorie responded, twirling the Dark Crystal keyblade she'd acquired at the end of the battle.

"Guys! What happened?" Maylin's voice rang out, as she, Mina, and Haruka ran up to Nick and Dorie.

"Just another Absent Silhouette battle," Nick explained. "Dorie and I took care of it."

Before Nick could say anything more, he suddenly felt a pulse shoot through him. Out of instinct, he pulled out his Drive orb, which was glowing a bright yellow.

Nick looked behind him; both Maylin and Haruka were glowing the same color.

"What's going on?" Dorie asked, a bit confused.

"You'll see," Nick replied before holding his arms out and concentrating.

"Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!"

With that, the familiar silver light exploded from Nick as Maylin and Haruka disappeared from sight.

Once the flash had cleared, Nick had changed once more. This time, the silver on his clothes had shifted to a bright yellow. His right hand was tightly gripping Haruka's Sweet Crest keyblade, and floating close by his left hand was Maylin's Chinese Spirit keyblade.

"Wow! That's _so cool!_" Dorie exclaimed.

"I had a feeling she'd like it," Nick stated.

No sooner had Nick said that than a portal opened right behind them.

"I guess you have to go?" Dorie asked.

"Just for a little while. We'll come visit again. I promise," Nick replied before following Mina into the portal.

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This new portal led back to Taisho Era, Japan.

"Let's see if we can find the disturbance," Nick replied. "I want to get back on track as soon as possible."

After splitting up, Nick headed towards the nearby forest, where he could see a shrine standing tall. Nick looked at the sign on the entrance. It read: "Kagura Shrine".

"Wait. Isn't this where Kurumi lives?" Nick wondered.

It was at that moment that Nick noticed another Absent Silhouette orb hanging right above him. The weapon image for this one was a card.

"Luxord, huh?" Nick noted. "This will be fun."

Wasting no more time, Nick jumped into the orb, appearing in Havoc's Divide in The World that Never Was. Out in the distance, Nick could see a massive, heart-shaped moon – the essence of Kingdom Hearts.

"Am I glad these arenas are only memories," Nick noted to himself.

Suddenly, giant cards formed a sort of circle around him before dispersing to reveal Luxord, the Gambler of Fate.

"Well, well, look who decided to show up," Nick taunted.

"I'd rather we just skip the formalities," was Luxord's simple reply. "As before, the first to run out of time is the loser."

"Okay, then. Let's rock," Nick stated, brandishing the Oathkeeper.

_Nick: 20:00  
__Luxord: 20:00_

Luxord opened the battle by flinging a few of his cards for Nick, who easily cut them down with a spinning attack. Nick saw his opportunity as Luxord let his guard down, charging forward and performing a few combos on Luxord, thus slamming him into a nearby wall.

_Nick: 19:15  
__Luxord: 17:23_

Luxord picked himself up. "A challenge, is it?" the Gambler of Fate proclaimed, lining four cards up behind him. Nick ran up to Luxord, and the aforementioned cards began rotating between X and O.

"Do you know the rules?" Luxord taunted.

Nick thought for a few seconds, then made his move, striking Luxord as the first card became an O. "Not bad, kid," Luxord noted.

_Nick: 18:23  
__Luxord: 14:18_

Taking his chance, Nick rushed forward, stopping just short of Luxord and slamming the Oathkeeper into the ground. The resulting force created a shockwave that knocked the Gambler of Fate into the air.

"Cards!" Luxord chanted, riding one of his cards to the other side of the arena.

"Oh, no you don't!" Nick shouted, raising his keyblade and shouting "THUNDER!!" The resulting electric attack blew Luxord right off of his transport.

Nick began another attack, but before he could get a hit in edgewise, Luxord disappeared into one of his cards and shuffled it with a few others. "Look closely."

Nick walked up to the rotating cards and thought for a couple seconds, studying the backs of the cards when he was able to see them. Once he'd decided, Nick tapped one of the cards with his keyblade.

The card Nick had selected spun around to reveal Luxord, ejecting him from his card. Nick took the opportunity to draw his keyblades and attack, finishing with his classic "Cross Attack", in which he struck horizontally with Fatal Crest, and vertically with Oathkeeper. The force of the attack knocked Luxord far back.

_Nick: 14:21  
__Luxord: 10:56_

Nick charged again, but before he could get another combo in, Luxord jumped onto one of his cards and flew high into the air, just out of Nick's reach.

"Don't squander your time, kid!" Luxord taunted from his position in the air.

"Oh, a wise guy, huh?" Nick shot back, pulling out his Drive orb. "We'll see how snooty you are after this! Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!"

The familiar explosion of silver light filled the arena, and when it dissipated, Nick had transformed into Limit Form.

"_Strike Raid!!"_ Limit Form Nick exclaimed, drawing the Kingdom Key and throwing it like a boomerang for Luxord. The spinning keyblade hit its target, only to have Nick call it back and throw it again. This went on for a while until the twirling Kingdom Key finally knocked Luxord off of his card platform.

_Nick: 13:21  
__Luxord: 07:32_

Limit Form Nick began another charge, his keyblade in front of him.

"_Ragnarok!!"_ Limit Form Nick exclaimed, floating a few inches off of the ground. As Luxord came down from his fall, Nick began performing rapid midair combos that sent the Gambler of Fate flying yet again.

Once Limit Form Nick had Luxord in his sights, he fired a stream of energy rays from the tip of the Kingdom Key, each one slamming into Luxord and doing considerable damage.

_Nick: 11:54  
__Luxord: 04:11_

Limit Form Nick wasn't done yet, however. As Luxord came tumbling down, he balanced himself and put up a shield made of cards.

"What a coward. _Sonic Blade!!_" Limit Form Nick exclaimed, sticking the Kingdom Key in front of him and barreling forward at superluminal speeds. Luxord couldn't bring his card shield around in time, and Nick slammed right into the Gambler of Fate before spinning a 360 and rocketing back for another strike.

The rapid assault kept up until Limit Form Nick charged forward and finished the Sonic Blade attack with a dashing uppercut that sent Luxord flying all the way to the other side of the arena.

_Nick: 10:11  
__Luxord: 01:44_

"One more! _Ars Arcanum!!_" Limit Form Nick shouted, his Kingdom Key glowing a familiar shade of orange. With that, he charged for Luxord, who was just picking himself up, only to be met with a rapid, merciless series of attacks from Limit Form Nick's supercharged keyblade.

Nick finished the attack with a lethal overhead strike, and that was the end of it.

_Final Results:_

_Nick: 09:55  
__Luxord: 00:00_

Once the flash had cleared, Luxord had recovered his cards, and was standing near the doorway back to Proof of Existence.

"You play the game quite well."

With that, he was gone, leaving behind a silver crystal. Nick picked up and put it in his pocket after reverting out of Limit Form.

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Nick leaped out of the Absent Silhouette orb, another victory under the belt.

"Let's see..." Nick thought, counting the battles he'd had with the spirits of Organization XIII. "I fought Zexion here before with Mina. After that, I fought Marluxia at Proto Merkabah, Lexaeus before the Sapphire Cup, Larxene at Mizar's Palace, Roxas and Sakura back at Port Mystic, and Axel at Timeless River. I'm a little over halfway through these fights."

Nick began contemplating what Lexaeus had said to him about the Absent Silhouette and the Thirteenth Order. "Lexaeus said that whenever I defeat a member of the Absent Silhouette, I can release their spirit into Kingdom Hearts so they can eventually become complete humans again. But that's not gonna happen if we don't stop Diablos and get Will back on our side..."

The sound of footsteps behind him caught Nick's attention. He turned around and saw Kurumi standing there.

"What's up?" Kurumi asked.

"Oh, just thinking about stuff," was Nick's simple reply.

"What kind of stuff?" Kurumi continued, her natural curiosity showing quite clearly. "Talk to me."

Nick and Kurumi began walking down the path to the forest. "You know Will? That girl I told you about?"

"The one that fell to the darkness?"

"Exactly. When she fell to the darkness, she took one of my best friends from me. Actually... Irma and I..."

It took a couple seconds, but Kurumi soon understood. "You loved Irma, didn't you?"

"I still do, Kurumi," Nick replied. "That's why I'm on this mission. My friends and I are fixing the damage that Will and the Heartless have caused to the worlds in hopes that I can find Irma and return home."

"Oh. I see," Kurumi stated. "Well, trust me, Nick. If there's anything I've learned during my time with Nakahito, it's that anything can happen if you put your mind to it. I'm sure you'll find your friends again. I promise."

"Thanks, Kurumi. That really means a lot to me."

"Nick! I found something!" Mina's voice rang out as she rushed up to Nick, holding a book in her hands.

"What's up, Mina?"

"I found this book downtown," Mina explained, holding the book out towards Nick. It looked old and kind of tattered.

"There's a note on this book. It says, 'Bring this to Leon'. Wonder what he wants with it?"

"Then we'd better go check it out," Nick replied before turning back to Kurumi.

"I gotta go, Kurumi. Thanks for the pep talk."

"Anytime!"

With that said, Nick rushed off, following Mina back to Traverse Town.

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Author's Note: Okay! I showcased Limit Form's attacks just for you guys! Now, I know the new form (which was introduced after the battle against Roxas and Sakura) didn't get much action, but I assure you, it will be featured prominently in the next chapter. Either way, here's the details:

NEW FORM!

Name: Overdrive Form  
Partner(s): Maylin and Haruka  
Focus: A form that handles both the Keyblade and magic.  
Keyblade(s): Two (default: Sweet Crest and Chinese Spirit)  
Abilities: Overdrive Strike (a powerful finisher that successively damages a single enemy), Overdrive Vortex (a powerful finisher that deals damage to many enemies by trapping them in a spinning vortex of power), Lethal Frame (a powerful finisher that casts Stop on every enemy in sight, then damages them considerably), Magic Overdrive (powers up magic)  
Special Abilities: All ground combos become air combos, and Nick can move very fast.  
Advancing Form Ability: Wind Flip (backflip into a second jump, covering a lot of height and reflecting any attacks for the duration of the jump)

Nick's newest form is Overdrive Form, which nicely balances strength and magic. The finishers are quite powerful, especially Lethal Frame, which I believe is also a new sleight for _Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories_. The Advancing Form Ability, Wind Flip, is Nick's answer to Aerial Dodge. The Wind Flip pushes Nick even higher than a full-power Aerial Dodge on his second jump, as well as deflecting any attacks targeted at him while he's in the second jump.

Next time:

Chapter 11: Monkeys on the Loose! The Storybook Tale of Kei and Yumi!

Nick and the gang bring an old book to Leon, only to discover that a whole new world lies inside it. And there's someone in this world that needs Nick's help...


	11. The Storybook Tale of Kei and Yumi!

"Why would Leon want this old book?" Mina asked Nick as the quartet of keyblade bearers walked through the Second District of Traverse Town. After Nick had won a spectacular Absent Silhouette battle in Taisho Era Japan, Mina had found a mysterious old book downtown.

"I'm not really sure, but if _Leon_ wants it, it's gotta be important," Haruka responded, twirling her Sweet Crest keyblade in her hands.

"The only thing I can make out on the cover is something that looks like a monkey," Nick noted, studying the book. "I wonder what it means?"

Suddenly, before anyone could voice their own opinions, a swarm of Soldier Heartless appeared, and they looked like they meant business.

Everyone readied their keyblades just as one of the Soldiers made a grab for the book that Mina was holding.

"They're after the book!" Maylin shouted, tossing one of her spell coins into the air and striking it with Chinese Spirit. The letters on the coin blazed as the spell took effect, causing a whirlwind to form under the Heartless, blowing them into the sky. Nick took advantage of the opportunity and flung the Oathkeeper for the clumped-together Heartless. The silver and gold blade did its job rather quickly, easily dispatching the Soldiers. However, no sooner had the Soldiers disappeared than a collection of Large Bodies and Fat Bandits appeared, all intent on acquiring the mysterious book.

"This could be trouble," Mina stated.

"You girls ready to Drive up?" Nick asked his partners.

"As we'll ever be," Maylin and Haruka exclaimed at the same time. Nick pulled out his Drive orb and concentrated.

"Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!!"

With that call, Maylin and Haruka disappeared from sight, and Nick transformed into Overdrive Form, wielding both of his partners' keyblades.

"That's still a lot of Heartless," Mina noted, holding Infinity Bullet in a battle stance. "It could take quite a while..."

"Not with what I've got," Overdrive Form Nick responded. He quickly held his hand out towards the concentration of Heartless, and suddenly, a blue and white clock seemed to radiate on each of the Heartless in the area, causing them to freeze completely still. Letting out a mighty battle cry, Overdrive Form Nick charged forward, lashing out with a series of swift strikes and finishing with a powerful spinning attack. Everything stayed silent for a few seconds, not a single Heartless flinching from Nick's attack. Then, all of a sudden, each and every one disappeared in an instant, leaving only a series of glowing hearts.

"Whoa..." Mina stated in awe.

"I call that one the 'Lethal Frame'," Overdrive Form Nick explained. "I simply cast Stop on all of those Heartless, and then just ran through them. I guess the damage only took its toll after the Stop spell wore off."

Nick quickly reverted out of Overdrive Form and picked up the mysterious book. "Good. The book didn't take any damage. Let's go find Leon before any other Heartless try to get their grubby hands on it."

_Hello?_

That caught Nick's attention. He looked around for the source of this new voice. "Did one of you say something?"

"Wasn't me," Mina responded.

_Hello? Is anyone there?_

"There it is again!" Nick exclaimed, trying his hardest to pinpoint the source of the voice.

"I don't hear anything," Haruka wondered.

_Please, someone answer me!_

"It feels like someone's calling out to me," Nick noted. He took a look at the mysterious book. It seemed to be glowing a bright green.

"Wait. Is that voice coming from the book?"

_Can anyone hear me?_

"Someone's in the book!" Nick realized. "And whoever it is, they're trying to call for help!"

"Are you sure?" Haruka asked.

"Wait, now I can hear it, too!" Maylin noted.

"Yeah, me, too," Haruka replied.

"This is weird. I'd better head in and see what's wrong," Nick stated, brandishing the Oathkeeper. Mina opened up the book and held it out towards Nick. Soon enough, a radiant green light shined forth, and Nick was pulled into the book.

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(Each world has a special treasure. Many of these treasures are unique. Who knows what would happen if they were taken?)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: May 24, 2007  
Summary: Nick and the gang bring an old book to Leon, only to discover that a whole new world lies inside it. And there's someone in this world that needs Nick's help...  
World Exploration Theme (Aunt Aki's TV Station): "Lazy Afternoons"  
World Battle Theme: "Sinister Sundown"  
Boss Battle Theme (Monkey Blue): "The Deep End"  
Monkey Blue's Music Box Theme: "Hikari –KINGDOM HEARTS Instrumental Version-"

Author's Note: This is only the beginning of this world, folks. Like with the Hundred Acre Wood, Nick will be able to access new areas as he collects more Torn Pages later on.

Disclaimer: As always (this seems to be getting a bit repetitive), I don't own _W.I.T.C.H., Kingdom Hearts_, or any anime or video game properties and characters used in this story. The only things I own are my characters. _W.I.T.C.H. _and _Kingdom Hearts _are copyright Disney and Square Enix, and _Ape Escape 3_ is copyright Sony Computer Entertainment.

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Chapter 11: Monkeys on the Loose! The Storybook Tale of Kei and Yumi!

_Prologue: A Mysterious World_

Nick fell down from his transport, landing in what appeared to be a TV station, except outdoors.

"Okay... I wasn't expecting this," Nick noted to himself as he took a look around the station. At the front was a giant blue TV set that seemed to act like a portal of sorts. Near the back, there was a staircase that led to a "Shopping Center", as denoted by the sign above the stairs. There was a home theater system off to the right side, and a set of photo books to the left.

"I don't think I've ever seen such elaborate mechanics before," Nick wondered.

"Someone! HELP!"

Nick instantly recognized this new voice as the one that had called out to him back in Traverse Town. Materializing the Oathkeeper, Nick charged into the Shopping Center, where the voice had come from. Down there, a girl of about 13 or so with brown hair tied into two fluffy ponytails, wearing a pink jacket, and carrying what appeared to be a net, was chasing what seemed to be a monkey with a helmet on. The helmet's light was flashing bright red.

"Get back here, you stupid monkey!" the girl exclaimed, swinging her net at the monkey, but to no avail. The monkey easily dodged each swing.

_Guess it's time I put in an appearance,_ Nick thought.

"Hey, monkey boy!" Nick shouted, drawing the monkey's attention. "You want a fight? Then try me!"

The monkey seemed to like a challenge, flailing its arms towards Nick. The keybearer easily dodged, opening up with a swift aerial combo that sent the monkey flying.

This didn't discourage the monkey, who began another charge for Nick once it had landed on the ground. Nick simply smirked and charged up his keyblade. The second that the monkey got close enough to Nick, he lashed out with a powerful Zantetsuken attack, knocking the monkey to the floor and causing the light on its helmet to turn off.

Nick turned his attention towards the girl with the net. "He's all yours!"

The girl nodded, charging forward with her net extended. She swung the net for the stunned monkey in a spectacular jump attack, this time easily catching it. A bright flash filled the area, and when it cleared, the monkey that the young girl caught had disappeared.

"That's another one down," the girl stated before turning to Nick. "Thanks for the assist."

"No problem. I'm always happy to help out," Nick replied.

"My name's Yumi," the girl replied, extending her hand, which Nick promptly shook.

"I'm Nick. Nice to meet you, Yumi."

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"So, what was the deal with that monkey?" Nick asked Yumi as they walked back to the TV Station.

"Well, to put it shortly, there's this evil monkey named Specter who wants to use monkeys to rule the world," Yumi explained. "So, he uses those Monkey Helmets to control them, and hopefully take over the world. Right now, those stupid monkeys are broadcasting these strange TV shows that turn anyone who watches into a mindless couch potato. Me and my brother Kei have been capturing these monkeys and shutting down their broadcasts."

Nick nodded, readily absorbing all of the information.

"The problem is, the Freaky Monkey Five kidnapped Kei and took him somewhere. Aunt Aki and I have looked high and low, but we can't seem to find him..."

"I'll just bet the Heartless are behind that," Nick replied.

"Heartless?" Yumi wondered.

"They're what comes out of the darkness in people's hearts," Nick explained, hoping to prepare Yumi for the worst. "The Heartless go around stealing peoples' hearts so they can become stronger. If they find the way to a world's heart, they take it and the world just vanishes. The only way to stop that from happening is if I lock the door to the world's heart with the keyblade." Nick showed Yumi the Oathkeeper. "The keyblade is the only thing that can stop the Heartless."

"Wow," Yumi replied. "That's one incredible story."

"If my instincts are telling me right, the first of those monkeys is waiting somewhere out there," Nick wondered.

"Why don't we use the Warp Pad?" Yumi explained. "Aunt Aki built the Warp Pad so we could head into the monkeys' TV shows and take care of them."

"Sounds as good a place to start as any," Nick replied. "Let's go!"

Together, Nick and Yumi stepped onto the nearby warp pad. Nick aimed the Oathkeeper towards the screen, and a few seconds later, the two were pulled into it.

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_Page 1: Monkey Blue's Western Story_

Nick and Yumi landed in what appeared to be an old western town. Facing the two down at the other side of the arena was a tall monkey on a motorcycle, dressed in blue western garb, along with a helmet like the one the other monkey had been wearing.

"Well, well, little kids. I have to commend you for making it this far," Blue Monkey retorted. "But, as you can see, I'm the fastest shooter in this here television show. This is as far as I'm going to let you get. As soon as my music box stops playing, we draw."

"Sounds good to me," Nick shot back, readying the Oathkeeper.

The three waited patiently as Blue Monkey's music box finished up its tune. Once the last note stopped, Blue Monkey drew his guns.

"HERE I COME!"

Nick readied the Oathkeeper as Blue Monkey came charging in on his motorcycle. Nick swung at Blue Monkey, but he easily dodged it. It seemed as though every attack Nick made was stopped cold by the ever-agile Blue Monkey.

"Man, this guy's fast!" Nick noted, trying to catch his breath.

"I think we may need to stick to long-range combat," Yumi explained.

"Hey, good idea! He's definitely not a long-range kind of monkey. That much I know," Nick replied, pulling out his Drive orb.

Yumi held out a mysterious gadget on her right wrist, which began glowing with a bright green light.

"Transform!! _Wild West Kid!!_" Yumi shouted.

"Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!!" Nick shouted.

When the light cleared, Nick had transformed into Limit Form, switching the Oathkeeper for the Kingdom Key. Yumi had changed into a bright, rainbow-colored wild west uniform, complete with two laser guns of her own.

"Get along, little doggies!" Yumi exclaimed, firing lasers from her weapons towards Blue Monkey.

However, Blue Monkey easily dodged the shots...

...just as Nick had planned.

"_Strike Raid!!_" Limit Form Nick shouted, tossing his keyblade like a boomerang. Blue Monkey couldn't recover in time after dodging Yumi's shots, and he took a few hits as the Kingdom Key flew past him and came back for another whack.

Limit Form Nick quickly called his keyblade back to him. "Yumi, you up for a tag team?"

The young girl nodded, holding her guns towards the recovering Blue Monkey. A charging sound could be heard.

Meanwhile, Limit Form Nick leapt into the air and began floating there as beams of energy concentrated around the tip of his keyblade.

Just then, Blue Monkey noticed the duo charging their attacks, and began riding towards them.

"Now! FIRE!!" Limit Form Nick shouted.

With that, Yumi fired a massive blue beam from her guns, while Limit Form Nick released his concentrated energy in the form of a stream of rays that joined with Yumi's energy bullet.

Blue Monkey tried firing at it with his own guns, but the powerful dual attack was too strong, knocking Blue Monkey straight off of his motorcycle and doing big damage.

Limit Form Nick wasn't about to stop there. Blue Monkey may have been fast, but Nick still had a trump card up his sleeve.

No sooner had he said that than Yumi reverted out of her Wild West Kid persona, seeing as how her Morph Stock had run out of energy.

"Yumi! Could you sit on my back and hold your Stun Club towards Blue Monkey?" Limit Form Nick propositioned.

"Sure. What for?" Yumi responded, climbing onto Nick's back. Surprisingly, he wasn't being weighed down by Yumi.

"You'll see. _Sonic Blade!!_" With that call, Yumi stuck her Stun Club out towards the charging Blue Monkey just as Nick rocketed forward, keyblade extended.

As Nick had expected, with Yumi attacking as well, his Sonic Blade attack did extra damage. Nick kept up the attacks for a while, eventually ending in a powerful dual uppercut. This was the end of the battle, as Blue Monkey fell to his knees after being knocked off of his motorcycle.

"All right, you got me, kid. You're a better shooter than I," Blue Monkey admitted.

"He's all yours, Yumi," Nick noted. Yumi nodded, bringing out her net and catching Blue Monkey in it. There was a bright flash, and suddenly, the transmitter that was on top of the nearby saloon fell to pieces.

"That's one down," Yumi stated, holding her Monkey Net triumphantly. "But this one didn't have Kei..."

"It's all right, Yumi," Nick replied after reverting out of Limit Form. "We'll find him. That's a promise."

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"I take it you're Aunt Aki?" Nick stated to the young woman who was standing by the Warp Pad once he'd returned from the Warp Station.

"That's me, all right," Aki replied.

"Yumi's pretty worried about her brother," Nick noted.

"I know. But the only way we'll find Kei is if we defeat the Freaky Monkey Five and find Specter. I'm afraid you'll have to find more Torn Pages and restore the other areas of the TV Station if you want to confront the rest of the Freaky Monkey Five," Aki explained.

"Right. I'll look around the worlds as hard as I can. I'm worried about Yumi, so I'll come back once I've found more of those pages," Nick replied, before waving goodbye to Aki and Yumi and heading for the world's exit.

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Back in Traverse Town's Magician's Study, Maylin and Haruka were talking with Merlin the Wizard about the book that Nick was in. Mina had gone off to scout the town for any signs of the Heartless.

"So, where did you find that book, my dears?" Merlin asked.

"Actually, it was Mina who found it," Haruka explained. "While Nick was fighting Luxord, Mina found the book in Taisho Era Japan."

"Kurumi's world," Maylin continued. "There was a note on the book that instructed us to bring it to Leon. I figured he would know something about it."

"While I'd been meaning to tell Leon about the book, I believe we should keep this our little secret for now," Merlin proposed.

"Good idea," Maylin and Haruka stated at the same time.

Just then, a bright light filled the room, and Nick was back, the book having closed on its own.

"Couldn't bother waiting up for me, could you?" Nick asked.

"We're going to keep the book with Merlin until we're sure it'll be safe," Maylin explained.

"That's a good idea," Nick responded. "Yumi's brother was kidnapped by the Freaky Monkey Five," he explained, recalling what had gone down inside the storybook, "and the only way I can save him is if I find the rest of the Torn Pages. I'll bet they're hiding on some of the other worlds out there."

"I guess that means we have to get going, right?" Mina asked, who had just returned to the Magician's Study.

"We'll be back. Right now, sealing the worlds is our top priority," Nick explained. "We'll come back just as soon as we can."

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Author's Note: Okay, folks! We're almost to the turning point! Be ready for anything!

Next time:

Chapter 12: The Bond Between Best Friends! We Are Pretty Cure!

Nick and the party head back to Japan, finding a duo of superheroes that defend the city from an evil dimension. In other words, all in a day's work...


	12. The Bond Between Best Friends!

Back in the mysterious villain's meeting ground, Will stands before a few more baddies. The number had apparently dwindled as Nick and his friends traveled through the worlds and defeated their enemies.

"Hey, that robed chick could have stood a chance if SOMEONE had stuck around to give her a hand instead of looking for that angel girl," Dr. Amagi noted.

"Hey, lay off! I did my part. I brought the princess, didn't I?" Will shot back, tightly gripping the Soul Eater.

"The insect prince was beyond help, consumed by his own hatred for those space explorers," Lord Diablos explained. "He failed to notice the darkness eating away at his heart. One should beware of letting it burn too fiercely."

"Don't worry about me, Lord Diablos," Dr. Amagi reassured. "I'm as cool as they come. By the way, kid, we've got a little present for you."

"What?"

"We had a deal, yes?" Lord Diablos replied. "You help us, and we grant your wish..."

At the center of the round table, an image of the unconscious Irma appeared.

"No way! Irma!" Will exclaimed, the evil look in her eyes vanishing for a couple seconds, which proves she still wants to rescue her friends.

"Go to her," Diablos stated.

"Irma... don't worry. I'm coming for you," Will said to herself as she raced out of Villain's Vale. Suddenly, she stopped and turned back towards Lord Diablos.

"Wait a minute. Why are you doing all this for me?" Will inquired. "What's the catch?"

"What catch, my dark warrior?" Diablos replied. "You're like a daughter to me. I only wish for your happiness."

Something in Will's eyes bothered Diablos to no end, though.

"I seriously doubt that," Will shot back before racing off.

"Believe what you wish, little girl. But lest you forget, I upheld my end of the bargain," Diablos stated to no one in particular.

"Maybe she does not believe that you have," a mysterious voice resonated.

Diablos turned around, his staff at the ready.

"Oh, it's only you," Diablos retorted to a mysterious man completely covered in a brown cloak.

"Her lifeless friend is making her recover her old feelings," the hooded man explained. "If you let her slip out of your control, you will regret it."

"You would be wise not to order me around," Diablos shot back.

"I am merely telling you this for your own good," the hooded man continued.

Suddenly, an explosion could be heard from far away.

"What was that?" Diablos exclaimed.

"A refugee. The Heartless found her world and destroyed it. Apparently, she made it here through sheer force of will," the hooded man explained. "She is stronger than most survivors, being that she is one of the ancient Guardians."

"You lie!" Diablos shouted. "The ancients are still alive?"

"You had best see for yourself," the hooded man replied before disappearing in a swirl of darkness.

"Oh, we shall see indeed," Diablos noted, twirling his staff.

Outside, in the Rising Falls, a girl can be seen strafing around pillars of ice, plowing straight through various Heartless. Before we can get a closer look at her, the screen fades to black.

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(A true hero is measured not by the strength of his abilities, but by the strength of his heart.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: June 5th, 2007  
Summary: Nick and the party head back to Japan, finding a duo of superheroes that defend the city from an evil dimension. In other words, all in a day's work... right?  
World Exploration Theme: "The Afternoon Streets"  
World Battle Theme: "Working Together"  
Absent Silhouette Theme (Demyx): "The 13th Dilemma"  
Boss Battle Theme (Hooded Unknown): "Disappeared" from _Kingdom Hearts II  
_Boss Battle Theme 2 (White Monkey): "Destiny's Force"

Limit Attacks Introduced Today  
"Freeze Drive" (Nick, Maylin, and Haruka)  
"Magnet Spiral" (Nick and Maylin) 

Author's Note: School is almost over for me, so you can expect more updates as I kick _Key to Her Heart_ into high gear! I may even throw in a Final Mix version of _The Keyblade Warriors_ sometime soon if I feel up to it! Stay tuned!

Disclaimer: Yet again, I don't own _W.I.T.C.H. _or _Kingdom Hearts_, with the exception of Nick, Maylin, Haruka, and Mina, as they are my characters. The respective properties belong to Disney and Square Enix. _Futari wa Pretty Cure_ is copyright Toei Animation. This story is copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger, 2006/2007. Can we start the show, please?

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Chapter 12: The Bond Between Best Friends! We Are Pretty Cure!

The portal opened just in time for Nick, Maylin, Haruka, and Mina to come flying out, landing in a tangled pile.

"Hey, hey! Get your foot out of my face!" Maylin shouted.

"I could do that if someone would get their keyblade off of my head!" Haruka shot back, batting the Chinese Spirit keyblade out of her face.

"Where are we?" Mina asked.

"It looks kinda familiar," Haruka noted, thinking about the worlds she'd visited on her travels.

"This place kind of reminds me of Kurumi's world," Nick stated, twirling the Oathkeeper once everyone had gotten themselves untangled. "The same architecture, but much more modern-day."

"You sure?" Mina asked.

"I can tell. That's one of the reasons I took Geography class," Nick noted.

"Things seem pretty peaceful," Haruka wondered, taking a look around them...

...only to be jumped by a pack of Neoshadows. Haruka quickly swung Sweet Crest and knocked the creatures of darkness away.

"You just HAD to say it, Haruka," Maylin taunted, bringing out Chinese Spirit.

Haruka was the first one to act, getting close to a Neoshadow and sweeping it into the air with a leaping spin attack reminiscent of Sora's Aerial Sweep. As soon as Haruka touched the ground, she shot into the air again, this time batting the Neoshadow around with her keyblade.

"Nick! Over to you!" Haruka shouted, knocking the Neoshadow towards her partner, baseball-style. Nick responded by leaping into the air and going into a somersault attack, sending the Neoshadow flying back to the brunette. The two continued this pattern for a while before Maylin decided to cast a Stop spell on all the surrounding Neoshadows. Nick and Haruka finished up their tag-team attack with a spectacular dual diving attack. Moments later, the Neoshadows vanished, only to be replaced with Bolt Towers and a few Hot Rods. Nick charged for one of the Hot Rods, only to have it drive away from him.

"Oh, no you don't!" Nick shouted, leaping into the air and spinning his keyblade around him. The swiftness of this spin created a spherical magnetic field around Nick that drew the escaping Hot Rod right towards it. As the van-shaped Heartless spun around helplessly, Maylin aimed Chinese Spirit towards it, firing a series of magical bullets towards it. Nick finished up by throwing his arms out, causing the magnetic field to explode and the Hot Rod to go flying.

Haruka and Mina were facing down the Bolt Towers, when all of a sudden, one of them shot out a beam that ensnared Haruka and lifted her into the air. Needless to say, she wasn't going to stand for it.

"Get off of me, you freak! Find your own girl!" Haruka shouted, spinning around and tossing the beam straight back to its owner, creating a shockwave that badly damaged the Bolt Tower and all surrounding Heartless.

However, once those Heartless were out of the picture, a new group appeared out of nowhere.

"Drat! There's too many of them!" Haruka shouted.

Before anyone could ponder what to do next, they heard a pair of voices from far off.

"_Power of hope, will of light! Face the future and press onward! Pretty Cure Rainbow Storm!!"_

Once those words had been spoken, a rainbow beam of light came down from out of nowhere, instantly vaporizing one of the Bolt Towers. Before anyone had a chance to ask, a storm of rainbow energy beams came flying from the sky, wiping out each of the surrounding Heartless.

When the coast was clear, everyone began searching for the source of this new arrival. Haruka was the first one to spot the source: two teenage girls were standing there, wearing outfits that reminded her of Kurumi back in Taisho Era Japan. The girl on the left, who had bright silver eyes and short, spiky orange hair, was wearing a black uniform. The girl to the right, who had long, flowing purple hair and blue eyes, was wearing the white uniform.

"Wait. Why do they look familiar?" Haruka asked herself. Suddenly, she noticed rainbow-colored bracelets strapped around both girls' wrists. That easily gave away their identities.

"Nagisa! Honoka!" Haruka shouted to her old friends.

"Who?" Nick asked, visibly confused.

"They're friends of Haruka," Maylin explained. "This was one of the worlds that she liked to visit before the Heartless started acting up. Nagisa and Honoka can transform into Pretty Cure to fight off the evil forces of the Dusk Zone."

"Wow," Nick noted after readily absorbing the information.

"Hey, Haruka!" Nagisa exclaimed, walking up to the brunette. "How've you been?"

"Oh, the usual. Tracking down some friends, wiping out some Heartless," Haruka replied. "Pretty much all in a day's work."

"Hey, girls," Nick stated, walking up to Nagisa and Honoka. "I just wanted to thank the two of you for saving our butts back there."

"It was no big deal, really," Honoka replied. "I'm sure you would have done the same thing for us."

Just then, everyone heard what seemed to be a guitar solo. Nick was the first to spot the source: a silver orb surrounded by lightning bolts, with the image of a familiar-looking sitar on it.

"What the heck?" Nagisa wondered.

"Another Absent Silhouette," Mina explained.

"I think this one's Demyx," Nick noted after studying the orb. "I can tell because of the way that guy sings."

"Are you sure you can beat this Demyx character?" Nagisa asked, a little concerned.

"Don't worry, Nagisa. We've taken care of this freak before. You two wanna come with me?" Nick propositioned.

"We'd be delighted," Honoka replied as she and Nagisa followed Nick into the orb.

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On the other side, Nick, Nagisa, and Honoka ended up in the plaza of what appeared to be the pathway to a grand castle in the distance. Nick immediately recognized this place as Hollow Bastion's Castle Gates, where Demyx had originally fallen by Sora's hand.

"So, where is this Demyx?" Nagisa asked, getting a bit impatient.

"Patience, Nagisa. I'm sure he'll find us," Nick noted.

And sure enough, Demyx, the Melodious Nocturne, appeared via a column of darkness, twirling his sitar.

Nick quickly brought out the lucky charm that Irma had given him a few years ago.

"Oh, that's cute," Honoka stated.

With one swift flick of his wrist, the lucky charm materialized into the Oathkeeper keyblade.

"All right, Demyx," Nick challenged as Nagisa and Honoka shifted into fighting stances.

"Let's dance."

Demyx was quickly on the offensive, playing a few notes on his sitar. "Dance, water, dance!"

Responding to Demyx's call, a couple dozen liquid clones appeared and started bouncing around.

"The clones again, Demyx?" Nick taunted, swiftly transforming into Limit Form. "You seriously need to get a new act! _Sonic Blade!!_"

With that, Nick stuck out the Oathkeeper and zipped around the arena at superluminal speeds, wiping out a huge cluster of clones with each pass.

Nagisa and Honoka joined hands before glowing with a rainbow light. _"Power of hope, will of light! Face the future and press onward! Pretty Cure Rainbow Storm!!"_

As Limit Form Nick destroyed the final clone, Nagisa and Honoka thrust their hands towards Demyx, discharging a storm of rainbow energy beams that knocked the Melodious Nocturne around like a rag doll.

Nick took this as his chance, running towards the flailing Demyx. Suddenly, he was knocked away by a wall of water. Typical.

"Got you now!" Demyx shouted, swinging his sitar around in random patterns, creating geysers of water energy that kept Nick from getting close.

However, Nick wasn't discouraged, because he had a trump card up his sleeve. Holding out both hands, he combined the powers of fire and wind into a sphere in his outstretched palms. The exact second Demyx got close enough to Limit Form Nick, he thrust his hands forward, and a mighty gust of hot air that broke right through Demyx's water wall.

"Of course!" Honoka exclaimed. "Heat evaporates water!"

"Well, duh," Nagisa shot back. "I knew that!"

"Ain't it a blast?" Demyx stated before beginning a charge for Limit Form Nick, swinging his weapon all the while. Unfortunately for the Melodious Nocturne, Nick had already grown wise to his dirty tricks.

"Guess it's time to try that technique I learned the other day," Nick said to himself before holding the Oathkeeper into the air.

As Demyx danced around, shooting off water attacks every which way, Nick charged forward, his keyblade flying through the air and striking Demyx. Nick quickly spun a 360 and swung his keyblade into the air again, this swing creating a rather large magical field that interrupted Demyx's attacks and sent him crashing to the ground.

Nick wasn't done yet, however. He shifted back into stance and tapped the ground with his keyblade, staying still for a few seconds.

Everyone stared at Nick for a couple seconds.

Suddenly, Nick's smile turned into a grin as he focused on Demyx, leaping into the air and slamming the Oathkeeper straight into the ground. From completely out of nowhere, pillars of light surrounded Demyx, lifting him straight into the air and continuously damaging him.

The pillars of light lasted for about eight or nine seconds, and when it finally ended, Demyx dropped back to the ground, dazed and badly damaged.

"All right, time to end this! _Ars Arcanum!!_" Limit Form Nick shouted, ripping through the air with rapid keyblade strokes before jumping and performing a lethal somersault attack. This was the end of the battle.

Demyx stood there for a couple seconds.

"Aw... booed again."

"Keep practicing, Demyx," Nick replied, reverting out of Limit Form. "Maybe one day you'll find the right melody."

"Yeah."

With that, Demyx disappeared, leaving behind a mysterious paper. Nick immediately recognized it as one of the Torn Pages from Kei and Yumi's Storybook.

"That's the second one," Nick noted, pocketing the Torn Page just as he and the girls were warped out of the arena.

(Author's Note: Anyone who's played _Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories_ will recognize that pillar of light attack.)

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However, no sooner had Nick and Pretty Cure returned than a swarm of Nobodies, mostly Dusks and Creepers, arrived on the scene.

"And to think I was actually getting tired of these freaks," Haruka noted, brandishing Sweet Crest.

"Stand back, girls," Nick stated, bringing out the Oathkeeper. "I want to try something I picked up back in Castle Oblivion."

Nick twirled the Oathkeeper in his hands before jumping straight into the air. Calling upon his natural element, Nick began a spinning dive attack. The instant his keyblade touched the ground, a massive maelstrom of electricity came from out of nowhere, completely obliterating the Nobodies.

Before anyone could get their bearings, they heard a mysterious voice from in the shadows.

"Bravo, Pretty Cure," the voice stated. "You have done far greater than I expected."

"Why don't you show yourself?" Nagisa shouted. "Quit being such a coward!"

As if responding to Nagisa's taunt, the mystery person stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be a man draped in a dark brown coat.

"Okay, that didn't help much," Nagisa shot back, shifting into fighting stance.

"Wait a minute," Nick noted. "Why does this guy seem familiar?"

Not giving Pretty Cure or the keyblade wielders any time to react, the mystery man shot his hand outwards, expelling a massive ball of electric energy. Nick quickly batted it away with the Oathkeeper.

"Just who are you, buddy?" Haruka shouted.

"I would like to know that myself," the hooded man replied simply.

Without wasting any time, the hooded man drew what appeared to be a pair of lightsabers.

"Xemnas?" Mina asked.

"No," Nick replied. "The energy I'm feeling from this guy is different."

Nick quickly put up his keyblade to block a series of strikes from the hooded man. Going on the offensive, Nick charged forward, performing a Ripple Drive finisher, only to find that it didn't affect the mysterious man.

"Okay, THAT didn't work," Nick said to himself.

Haruka decided that it was her turn, spinning Sweet Crest and focusing on her own powers. Just a few seconds later, a series of heart-shaped energy beams flew from the twirling keyblade. Haruka called this her "Charm Sweep", as it could charm pretty much anyone into doing something for her.

However, Haruka didn't expect the hooded man to just bat the energy hearts away like it was nothing.

"What? That usually works!"

"Not this time, little girl," the hooded man taunted. "It will take more than a simple charm to stop me."

"Guess that's where I step in," Maylin shot back, drawing a special spell coin from her pocket and tossing it into the air.

"Let's see how you like this! RAINBOW BLITZ!!" With that, Maylin brought Chinese Spirit back and slammed it into the coin. The letters on the coin shined as Maylin's special spell came to life. Before the hooded man could react, a collection of rainbow-colored light blasted forth, striking the hooded man and causing him to scream in agony.

"I KNEW that would work!" Maylin exclaimed in triumph.

"All right, you," Nick taunted, facing the hooded man. "Are you ready to give up yet?"

"Fools. I have only begun to fight," was the hooded man's simple reply.

_That's enough! Return to Hollow Bastion, my mysterious ally. The time has come to open the final door!_

Everyone stopped and looked around for the source of this mysterious new voice.

"I guess my time here is at an end," the hooded man stated, backing away from Nick and the girls. "But this will not be the last time we meet."

"I wouldn't count on that!" Nick shouted, racing forward. "I'm finishing you right here!"

Nick leaped forward, the Oathkeeper held high. But just before Nick could strike, his world turned black and white for a second, and his keyblade only struck air.

"Where'd you go, coward? Show yourself!" Nick challenged.

"Where did he say he was going?" Haruka wondered.

"I think he said something about a 'Hollow Bastion'," Maylin replied.

"I'll bet that's where we'll find Will and this Lord Diablos!" Nick realized.

Before anyone could say more on the matter, a bright flash caught their attention. Nagisa was looking at her Rainbow Bracelet, which seemed to be acting quite strangely.

"Hey, Nick?" Nagisa asked. "There's something weird on my bracelet..."

Nagisa showed Nick her bracelet, revealing that a keyhole was resting where its jewel should have been.

"It's the keyhole! Nick!" Mina exclaimed.

"Right," Nick replied. "Hold up the bracelet, Nagisa. I have to close that keyhole."

"Okay..." Nagisa replied, holding up the bracelet as Nick held the Oathkeeper towards it. Energy began to gather on the tip of the keyblade before shooting a beam of light that shined into the keyhole, forever sealing this world from the Heartless.

"I guess that means we have to go," Mina wondered.

"Will you come and visit us?" Nagisa asked.

"As soon as we can," Nick replied. "That's a promise."

"Okay, then! Looks like we're off to Hollow Bastion!" Haruka shouted in excitement.

"Wait, girls. I want to make a quick stop in Traverse Town," Nick remembered. "When I took care of Demyx, he coughed up another torn page from Kei and Yumi's Storybook."

"Okay. I can see how you'd be worried about them," Haruka replied before using her keyblade to open a portal back to the Magician's Study in Traverse Town.

Once the party had left, Nagisa began thinking. "Why am I getting this feeling that something bad is going to happen?"

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Nick and the girls came from the portal, only to find the study empty. "Guess Merlin's not here," Mina noted.

"Then I guess he won't mind if I used the storybook," Nick replied, walking up to the table where he'd placed Kei and Yumi's Storybook. The book instantly opened and covered Nick in a bright green light.

_Kei and Yumi's Storybook Chapter 2: The Fantasy of White Monkey_

Just as Nick landed back inside the TV Station, Yumi came running up. "Oh, Nick! Thank goodness you're here! I've got another lead on the Freaky Monkey Five!" Yumi exclaimed.

"Then let's not waste any time," Nick replied, heading for the Warp Gate with Yumi in tow.

The two ended up at what appeared to be a castle. A machine that strongly resembled a dragon was standing at the entrance, piloted by White Monkey, the scientist of the Freaky Monkey Five.

"Well, well," White Monkey taunted. "I never expected a couple kids to make it this far. But I have orders from Specter, and I shall not allow you to pass!"

Nick and Yumi readied their weapons just as the machine discharged a massive blast of fire. The two heroes had already begun their transformations, much to White Monkey's surprise.

"_Transform! Fantasy Knight!_"

"_Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!!_"

Once the light cleared, Nick was in Limit Form and Yumi had become the Fantasy Knight, clothed in a medieval-era style witch uniform and holding a magical wand.

"You really think that changing your clothes is going to stop me?" White Monkey taunted, piloting his machine into the sky and dropping swarms of missiles onto our heroes.

Yumi reacted quickly, holding out her wand and shouting "_Protect!!_", covering them in a magical barrier that protected them from the missile attack.

"_Strike Raid!!"_ Limit Form Nick called out, throwing the Kingdom Key like a boomerang, hoping to knock White Monkey's machine out of the sky.

"Feeble-minded fools!" White Monkey exclaimed. "You're going to have to do better than that!"

As soon as White Monkey said that, his machine was knocked back by a rather large chunk of ice that Limit Form Nick had unleashed.

"You DARE attack my..."

That was as far as White Monkey got before another elemental attack, this one the power of fire, crashed into his machine. Limit Form Nick kept up his elemental assault, not letting up for a second. Eventually, White Monkey's machine had taken enough elemental damage and began sinking towards the ground.

Nick wasn't finished yet, however. In one final maneuver, he held his keyblade to the sky, calling upon both Limit Form's power and Nick's natural element.

"This ends here, White Monkey! _HOLY THUNDER!!_" Limit Form Nick exclaimed. Yumi watched in amazement as Nick's Holy Thunder shot forth like a spectacular maelstrom, completely destroying White Monkey's machine and sending said monkey flying.

"Yumi! He's all yours!"

Nodding, Yumi reverted out of Fantasy Knight Form and readied her Monkey Net. The instant White Monkey was in range, Yumi swung the net, swiftly capturing the next of the Freaky Monkey Five.

Once the dust had settled, Yumi looked around. "Kei's not here, either."

"We'll find him, Yumi. I'll find the rest of the Torn Pages so we can put an end to Specter once and for all," Nick reassured.

"Thanks, Nick. Where are you headed now?"

"I'm going to Hollow Bastion. A friend of mine is being held hostage there."

"That place sounds dangerous. Be careful out there, okay?"

"I will, Yumi."

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Author's Note: All right! Finally, here comes the part I've been waiting to write ever since I started this story!

Next time:

Chapter 13: Decisions, Betrayals, and Lies! Finally, to Hollow Bastion!

Nick and the party head to Hollow Bastion to confront Lord Diablos and Will, rescue Irma, and stop the threat of the Heartless. Needless to say, things are not going to be easy...


	13. Finally, to Hollow Bastion!

The party quickly came out of the portal, winding up in a waterfall region.

"So this is Hollow Bastion..." Mina wondered.

"It's a little smaller than I thought it would be..." Haruka noted.

"Girls! Look!" Nick shouted, pointing towards a silver orb that was hanging above one of the many ice platforms that led to a grand castle in the distance.

"There's even Absent Silhouettes here?" Maylin exclaimed.

"I'm going in!" Nick shouted, brandishing the Oathkeeper and jumping into the orb.

When he could see again, Nick noticed that he was in Riddled Impasse back at The World That Never Was.

Readying his keyblade, Nick took up a fighting stance just as his opponent, Saïx, the Luna Diviner, appeared, claymore in hand.

"No exit," Saïx stated matter-of-factly.

"You sure about that?" Nick challenged, Oathkeeper held high.

Nick and Saïx stood their ground, neither one budging for a while.

"Do you feel it? The moon's power?" Saïx noted, holding his hands out and beckoning towards Kingdom Hearts.

"I don't think so!" Nick shot back, charging for Saïx. The Oathkeeper seemed to radiate with a mystical energy as he ran.

Nick struck with the Oathkeeper, time freezing just before his blade made contact with the Luna Diviner. When time started again, Nick was behind Saïx, his keyblade down and the damage dealt. Saïx was knocked clear across the room from the force of this attack.

"Impressive," Saïx commended.

"Thanks. I call that the Dragon Fang," Nick responded, beginning another charge.

However, Saïx was ready this time, swinging his claymore into Nick's direct line of attack, knocking the keyblade bearer aside. Nick made a quick aerial recovery and began twirling his keyblade in his hands.

"Time to blow the roof off of this showdown!" Nick exclaimed, chuckling a little at his own pun. "_White Whirlwind!!_"

Calling upon the natural elements, Nick channeled his collected energy into his spinning weapon. As he held it out towards Saïx, a mighty gust of icy wind shot forward, blasting out across the entire battlefield and turning Saïx into a block of ice.

Nick took advantage of the distraction to retreat to the corner and prepare for his next attack. Just as he planned, Saïx just then broke out of his icy prison. Nick began yet another charge, but somehow, his attack was stopped cold by a massive shockwave. Nick looked up to see Saïx going into his berserk state.

"Moon, shine down!" Saïx proclaimed. Before Nick could react, Saïx began attacking like crazy, creating light blue shockwaves wherever he attacked.

Nick was running around as fast as he could, thanking the goddesses that his natural element made him naturally swift.

While Saïx was attacking all over the place, Nick noticed that he dropped copies of his weapon in the spots that he struck. Noting this, Nick charged forward and grabbed onto one of the floating claymores, feeling a huge amount of power channeling into his grip. Nick began moving around, trying to get a bead on Saïx. He also noticed that whenever one of the Luna Diviner's attacks impacted him, he wasn't affected by it.

Intent on finishing the fight, Nick charged for Saïx, the claymore he'd grabbed still tight in his hands. Once Nick got the Luna Diviner in his sights, he lashed out with the claymore, pounding at Saïx with a fierce series of attacks. That was the end of the battle.

"If I only had a heart..."

With that, the defeated Saïx disappeared, leaving Nick to grab a crystal that the Luna Diviner had left behind. Once he warped out of the arena, he noticed Mina staring towards a platform higher up in the Rising Falls.

"Something wrong, Mina?" Nick asked.

"I can sense a very familiar energy up there," Mina responded. "I think that's Will!"

"All right, girls! This is our big chance! Let's go!"

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(Sometimes, the line between good and evil is a thin one. Sometimes, betrayals can blur that line so badly that good and evil can't be told apart...)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: June 22nd, 2007  
Summary: Nick and the party head to Hollow Bastion to confront Lord Diablos and Will, rescue Irma, and stop the threat of the Heartless. Needless to say, things are not going to be easy...  
World Exploration Theme: "Hollow Bastion" _Kingdom Hearts_ version  
World Battle Theme: "Scherzo di notte" _Kingdom Hearts_ version  
Boss Battle Theme (Will): "Shrouding Dark Cloud"  
Absent Silhouette Theme (Saïx): "The 13th Dilemma"

Disclaimer: Like I've said for about the millionth time, I do not own _W.I.T.C.H._, _Kingdom Hearts_, or any other properties used in this story. If I did, why in the flying heck would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

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Chapter 13: Decisions, Betrayals, and Lies! Finally, to Hollow Bastion!

Near the top of the Rising Falls, Will (in her normal clothes, but still wielding the Soul Eater) can be seen confronting a young woman with short blue hair tied into two small ponytails and wearing long, flowing white robes.

"No vessel, no help from the Heartless..." Will quipped. "So tell me, Orube, how'd you get here?"

"You know well enough, Will," Orube responded. "When your pitiful Heartless invaded Candracar, I just barely got out of there. I believed, and that's all it took. I can't believe what you did to Taranee. She was one of the nicest people I'd ever met. I WILL get her back!"

"Come and take her if you can!" Will challenged. Orube let out a mighty battle cry and leapt for Will, lashing out with many hand-to-hand strikes, all of which were easily countered.

Will lashed out with the Soul Eater. Orube didn't see it coming until it was too late.

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"That's Orube!" Haruka exclaimed upon witnessing the scene that lay before them. Will was holding the Soul Eater in a battle stance, and Orube, Taranee's temporary replacement a while back, was laying there with a gash along her chest, no doubt left by the Soul Eater.

"Will! STOP!!" Nick shouted.

Will turned her attention towards the squadron of keyblade bearers.

"So. You've finally made it. About time. I've been waiting for you," Will stated. "These powers have given me some of the most incredible abilities I've ever seen. Make no mistake, I really enjoyed that duel we had back at Port Mystic."

"You did, huh?" Nick shot back.

"But it all ends here. There can't be two keyblade masters," Will stated, holding her hand out.

"What are you talking about?" Nick shot back.

"Simple, my former friend. Let the keyblade choose... its true master!"

Suddenly, Nick was buffeted by a wave of pressure. He struggled to hold on to the Oathkeeper, but it was to no avail. Eventually, the Oathkeeper disappeared from his grip and reappeared in Will's hand.

"What the...?" Nick exclaimed, not being able to believe what he was seeing.

"I knew it. You don't have what it takes to save Irma," Will challenged, swinging the Oathkeeper. "It's up to me. Only the true master of the keyblade can open the secret door... and change the world. I'm going to use that mighty power to save my best friend!"

"But that's impossible! I'm the one who fought my way here with the keyblade!" Nick shouted, hoping to knock some sense into his friend.

"You were just the delivery boy," Will stated with a sneer. "Sorry, but your part's over now. Here, go play hero with this."

With that, Will tossed a Wooden Sword to the ground near Nick, who fell to his knees in disappointment. Maylin and Haruka walked past Nick.

"Haruka, let's go. We have to remember our mission," Maylin said with much disappointment.

"I know the Oracle said to follow the one with the Oathkeeper, but..."

Haruka sighed heavily and walked back to Nick, kneeling down and softly kissing Nick on the cheek.

"Nick... I'm so sorry..."

With that, Haruka walked off. Suddenly, Nick noticed that the wounded Orube was trying to stand up. Now, he may have been really disappointed because of the loss of his keyblade and friends, but he knew when to protect the friends he _did_ have left.

"Orube, don't move! You're badly hurt!" Nick shouted, getting to his feet and rushing to Orube's aid.

"Why? Why did you come here?" Orube asked with all the effort she could muster. "Those dark bastards kidnapped Taranee and the others, and though I'm on my own, I will fight. That's why I came here."

Nick walked up to the Wooden Sword that Will had left behind and picked it up. _Well, I guess it's better than nothing._ "I'm not giving up, either. I came to find someone very important to me."

"Let's go."

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With his confidence restored, Nick journeyed with Orube through the vast expanses of Hollow Bastion. Even though his wooden sword was useless, he still could rely on his natural element, though the occasional Wizard made things tougher. That's what Orube was there for, as she used her special powers and awesome martial arts skills to help Nick dispose of the more troublesome Heartless.

Down in the Waterway, Nick and Orube found a secret maze that led to the control center for the castle gates. After getting through the maze and turning the power on, Nick and Orube journeyed back to the start, and headed for the Entrance Hall.

Meanwhile, in the Grand Hall, a series of women can be seen held in crystal capsules. In order, they were Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin, Kurumi, Dorie, and Nagisa. At the center of the hall, Lord Diablos was standing over Irma, who was in a purple crystal capsule. Diablos raised his staff into the air towards a mass of energy shaped like the Heartless symbol.

"O, purest of hearts! Reveal to me the keyhole!" Diablos chanted.

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Back in the Heatherfield Mountains, a mysterious armored girl can be seen walking through the vast mountain expanses, slinging a monstrous keyblade over her shoulder.

She suddenly shuddered at a mysterious feeling that washed over her.

"What the heck is this feeling I'm getting?" she asked herself. "And why does it feel so familiar?"

She looked into the dusty mountain sky, and let out a gasp of shock - there was a faint, heart-shaped object appearing in the sky.

"Oh, my god, NO!" Aqua shouted. "I can't believe that fool Diablos is trying to open Kingdom Hearts!"

With that, Aqua shifted her keyblade into a fighting stance and broke into a sprint. "I'd better get over there before it's too late!"

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Back in the Entrance Hall, Nick wandered in. Orube had split to find something. Upon reaching the gate, he saw Will standing there, with Maylin and Haruka by her side (quite reluctantly).

"Quit while you can," Will stated matter-of-factly.

"Not on your life, Will," Nick responded, holding his wooden sword in his hands. "Not without Irma."

"The darkness will destroy you," Will shot back, transforming into her dark form. Nick wasn't about to give up so easily.

"You're wrong, Will," Nick replied. "The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart. My heart will stay with my friends. It'll never die!"

"Oh, really?" Will sneered, drawing her hand back. "Well, we'll just see about that!"

That said, Will launched a Dark Firaga blast towards the immobilized Nick. Just as the Dark Firaga was about to obliterate Nick, everything flashed white and Haruka was over there, having deflected the Dark Firaga into a nearby wall.

"Better think again, little lady!" Haruka challenged.

"You'd betray the Oracle?" Will shot back. "After he put all of his trust into you?"

"Me? Betray the Oracle?" Haruka responded. "No chance in hell, Will! But I'm not going to betray Nick, either! Through our adventures, he's become one of my best friends! You can't expect me to turn on him _just like that!_"

"Hey, Haruka!" Maylin shouted, rushing up to Nick and Haruka. "You're not going this alone."

"Well, Nick, I guess you're stuck with us," Haruka explained, wrapping her arms around Nick.

"Remember what Irma told you all those years ago?" Maylin continued, joining in the group hug. "All for one and one for all!"

"Maylin... Haruka... thank you..." Nick said softly.

"Okay, so you've got your friends back," Will stated. "But how are you going to fight without a weapon?"

"Will... all the power of the Heart of Candracar... and you still don't understand a damn thing..." Nick chuckled. "I know now I don't need the keyblade. I've got a better weapon... my heart."

"Your heart?" Will laughed evilly. "What good will that weak little thing do?"

"Although my heart may be weak, it's not alone," Nick explained. "It's grown with each new experience, and it's found a home with all the friends I've made. I've become a part of their heart just as they've become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then... if they don't forget me... then our hearts will be one."

Nick readied his Wooden Sword. "I don't need a weapon anymore. My friends are my power!"

Suddenly, Will felt a wave of force pass over her. Just then, the Oathkeeper keyblade disappeared from her grasp and reappeared in Nick's hands.

"Now then, old friend... shall we?"

Will took up a battle stance as Nick charged for her. Nick struck with a leaping slash, and Will dodged, leaping into the air and driving her Soul Eater into the ground, creating shockwaves at the point of impact. She repeated this attack again and again, hoping to keep Nick from getting his own attack in.

However, Nick was expecting this kind of strike, and leaped into the air, centering a Magnega spell on himself. Will sprinted as fast as she could, but the pull from Nick's spell was just too strong. After a few seconds of Will's helpless spinning, Nick threw his arms out, and the Magnega spell exploded, sending Will flying.

Maylin continued the attack by tossing a multitude of spell coins into the air around her. She then spun Chinese Spirit around her, striking each of the spell coins in turn. Each of the coins blazed and dropped a rapid-fire assault of magic spells onto Will. This gave Haruka the opportunity to charge forward and drive Sweet Crest into Will's stomach, knocking the wind out of the ruby-haired dark warrior.

Nick took this time to transform into Limit Form, knocking more wind out of Will with a rapid series of Sonic Blade attacks. Soon enough, Maylin and Haruka joined in the assault, tossing their keyblades towards Will in a Strike Raid-style attack which only did more damage as Limit Form Nick continued using Sonic Blade.

Nick was showing no more mercy now, and was quickly pounding into Will with a series of Ars Arcanum attacks. One more powerful overhead strike ended the battle. Will, battered and bruised, reverted out of her dark form and ran off.

"The keyblade master is back," Nick stated matter-of-factly, giving a thumbs up to his comrades.

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Meanwhile, we can now see Will running back to the Castle Chapel, out of breath and badly damaged from the last battle.

"Why?" she asked herself. "It was mine!! How can that boy find his fighting spirit so fast?"

"Know this," a mysterious voice rang out. Will turned around and saw the man in the brown hood. "The heart that is strong and true shall win the keyblade."

"Are you mocking me, buddy?" Will shouted. "Are you saying my heart's weaker than his?"

"For that instant, it was," the hooded man replied. "However, you can become stronger. You showed no fear in stepping through the door to darkness. It held no terror for you. Plunger deeper into the darkness, and your heart will grow even stronger."

Will held her arms out, and began glowing an eerie shade of green.

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As Nick and the gang made their way through the many floors of the Lift Stop, Nick suddenly wondered something.

"Hey, guys, where's Mina?" Nick asked.

"I'm not sure, but I'll bet that when Will ran off with us, she absorbed Mina back into the Heart of Candracar. She _was_ Will's astral twin after all," Maylin explained.

"I hope she'll be all right," Nick stated, stepping on the Lift Stop's first floor elevator.

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Okay! Next time:

Chapter 14: The One Behind it All! The Fated Showdown With Lord Diablos!

Nick and the party continue exploring the grand castle, until finally meeting Lord Diablos, the one behind everything. But, is there really more to this dark lord than meets the eye?


	14. The Fated Showdown With Lord Diablos!

Nick, Maylin, and Haruka, together at last, are still journeying through the vast castle of Hollow Bastion. First, after solving a book puzzle in the library (which would have been impossible if not for Haruka's experience with working at a library; "I took a temp position over the summer," says Haruka), the trio continued through the elaborate Lift Stop, taking many elevators and finding treasure all around.

The journey through the castle perimeter was rife with thrills and peril, including some of the strongest Heartless they had ever faced in their lives. They frequently returned to previous rooms after triggering certain switches in order to find the way to the path they needed to follow.

At the fourth Lift Stop floor, they reunited with Mina again, who had forcefully split from Will after she'd gotten back to the Grand Hall. With Mina at their side, the group continued their long journey towards the Castle Chapel.

At the High Tower area, Nick had nearly fallen to his doom after being knocked off the platform by a Wyvern. Thankfully, Haruka had saved him while the others took care of the Heartless and Nobodies there.

Meanwhile, in the Grand Hall, Lord Diablos was standing before the massive keyhole that led to the heart of Hollow Bastion. Will, in her dark form attire, walked up to Diablos, now holding the Dark Keyblade instead of the Soul Eater.

"So," Will stated in a more evil sounding voice, as if someone else was talking with her. "I see the path has emerged at last."

"It has, my dear girl," Diablos responded, grinning evilly.

"Unlock it, and the Heartless will overrun this world," Will explained.

"I do not fear those infantile creatures," Diablos proclaimed. "Instead, I will use them to conquer all of the worlds out there!"

"Such bold words," Will stated, twirling the Dark Keyblade in her hands.

Suddenly, Diablos let out a gasp of shock. "I don't get it! Why won't the keyhole open?" he exclaimed in frustration, turning towards the unconscious Irma. "It must be the water girl."

"Without her heart, she will never be able to release her power," Will proclaimed.

Just then, an explosion can be heard a few miles away in the Castle Chapel.

"It's the kids. You stay here, Will. I'll deal with them myself," Diablos proclaimed, raising his staff and walking out of the room.

Meanwhile, inside the Chapel Hallway, Nick had just delivered the finishing blow to a Defender, when they were surrounded by mysterious creatures with long, tentacle-ish arms and large, beady eyes. They seemed to have a luminescence of evil surrounding them.

"What in the world are these freaks?" Haruka exclaimed, raising Sweet Crest. Suddenly, Nick remembered something.

"Of course! The Dreamers!" Nick exclaimed.

"The what?" Maylin wondered.

"A year ago, when we were fighting the Chasers, Aqua told me about these mysterious creatures that had been attacking her people long ago," Nick explained, recalling his time in the Cavern of Remembrance when Aqua had informed he and Irma about the creatures known only as Dreamers...

_"__I came to the Cavern of Remembrance to see if I could find some information on Xehanort and the Dreamers,__"__ Aqua explained._

_"__Dreamers?__"__ Irma asked, a bit confused._

_"__The Dreamers are a huge threat to our very existence,__"__ Aqua continued to explain. __"__I don't know what their motives are, or why they even exist at all. The only thing Ven, Terra, and I know is that the Dreamers are creatures born by the dreams of our people.__"_

_"__Birth by sleep...__"__ Nick said to himself._

_"__Exactly. The kind of Dreamers that are born depends on whose dream it came from. Unfortunately, my people have known nothing but pain ever since Xehanort betrayed us, so the Dreamers that were created have been viciously attacking us. I wish it would stop...__"_

_"__Maybe defeating Xehanort is the only way to stop the Dreamers,__"__ Irma inquired._

_"__I'm not sure if it would work,__"__ Aqua commented. __"__Though Xehanort is most likely controlling them, as I said, Dreamers are born by sleep. As long as there are people who dream in anguish, the Dreamers will never cease to exist.__"_

_"__Just like the Heartless,__"__ Irma noted._

"So the Dreamers are created from people's dreams?" Maylin inquired. "Makes that nightmare I had about the plane crash when I was four seem that much worse."

Nick and the girls readied their keyblades, when all of a sudden, the are flashed with a green light, and all of the Dreamers were subsequently destroyed.

Nick looked towards the pedestal just ahead...

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(Memories are something precious to all of us. Even if they fade away, the most important memories will never leave our hearts.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: June 26th, 2007  
Summary: Nick and the party continue exploring the grand castle, until finally meeting Lord Diablos, the one behind everything. But, is there really more to this dark lord than meets the eye?  
World Exploration Theme: "Hollow Bastion" _Kingdom Hearts _version  
World Battle Theme: "Scherzo di Notte" _Kingdom Hearts_ version  
Boss Battle Theme (Lord Diablos): "Sinister Shadows"  
Absent Silhouette Theme (Xigbar): "The 13th Dilemma"  
Boss Battle Theme 2 (Dragon Diablos): "The Fight For My Friends"

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing of _W.I.T.C.H. _or _Kingdom Hearts_ except my created characters. The respective properties belong to Disney and Square Enix. I know I'm sounding repetitive with these disclaimers, but I just don't want this story to be deleted because I forgot the disclaimer, not after all the work I've put into it. Let's get on with it!

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Chapter 14: The One Behind it All! The Fated Showdown With Lord Diablos!

...and saw none other than Lord Diablos standing there, a wicked grin on his face.

"You!" Nick exclaimed.

"I had a feeling I'd find you keyblade-swinging brats here," Diablos quipped. "But you're too late. Any minute now, the final door will open, and darkness will cover this world!"

Nick brandished the Oathkeeper. "Go ahead and try, Diablos! You'll still have us to deal with! I swear, as long as I wield this Oathkeeper keyblade, I will not back down! EVER!!"

"Truer words have never been said, Nick!" Maylin commended.

"We've always been your friends, Nick, and we always will be!" Mina exclaimed.

"No questions, Nick! We're with you until the very end!" Haruka finished, everyone readying their keyblades for a fierce battle.

Diablos simply laughed. "Poor, simple-minded fools. You really think that you can defeat me? The MASTER OF ALL EVIL?!"

With that, a glowing platform rose in the middle of the arena, and Diablos hopped onto it, spinning his staff in his hands.

"Come on, Diablos! Get down here and fight like a man!" Nick shouted, but Diablos would not heed him. This made Nick angry.

"Okay, then. If you're going to be a coward, then I have no choice but to MAKE you come and face me! FORCE!!" Nick exclaimed, casting a Graviga spell onto the platform that Diablos was standing on. The fierce gravitational pull was too much for the little foothold to handle, and it crumbled under the spell's wake, leaving Diablos to make a graceful landing on the floor.

"Bring it on!" Nick challenged, charging for Diablos.

"Fool. _Meteors of the devil's nirvana, strike them down with your divine fury!_" Diablos chanted, and from the air above the battleground, a storm of energy balls came crashing down onto the field. Nick shielded himself and the girls with a massive Reflega spell. When the attack dissipated, Nick ran towards Diablos, pulling a full combo on the dark lord before being knocked away by his staff.

"You are very persistent for a mere child. I guess I have no choice. _Lightning of Zeus' holiness, smite these fools with your heavenly wrath!_" Diablos chanted again, causing a massive maelstrom of lightning to blast the entire area. Maylin and the girls rolled away to the side pillars, the only place that was safe from the great storm. Nick, on the other hand, simply absorbed the bolts of power, using the energy of his natural element to supercharge his keyblade.

"Big mistake, Diablos. You must have forgotten that lightning is my element!" Nick taunted, rushing forwards at high speed before rapidly attacking Diablos. Nick finished the attack by leaping backwards and throwing his spinning keyblade towards the dark lord, causing explosions of light and electric energy all over the place, each one considerably damaging Diablos.

"_I summon you! Destroy them!_" Diablos chanted, raising his staff and summoning a gaggle of Defenders into the arena.

"Girls! Take care of those Heartless!" Nick exclaimed. "I'll finish up here."

Taking Nick's advice, the girls began fighting the Heartless that had just appeared. Meanwhile, Nick had already transformed post-haste into Limit Form and began performing Sonic Blade attacks rapid-fire. This didn't faze Diablos, who simply began chanting more spells. Dark orbs, geysers of water, and even razor-sharp swarms of leaves all lashed out for the mobile keyblade bearer, but Nick was too fast for Diablos.

After a couple more dodges, Nick stopped abruptly in front of Diablos, pounding into him with an Ars Arcanum attack. The final overhead slash ended the battle. A severely wounded Diablos retreated through a dark portal. Before anyone could follow Diablos, they noticed a glowing silver orb to the right side of the Chapel Hallway.

"Another Absent Silhouette, huh?" Mina wondered.

"Guess we have to take care of him first," Nick noted, following his comrades into the portal.

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Meanwhile, down in the lower levels of the Waterway, Cassidy, Ancient Guardian of Water, can be seen mowing down more Heartless, apparently taking care of them should trouble arise with Nick and the gang's battles. Suddenly, Cassidy felt a rush of memories streaming through her mind.

_"__Irma__"_

_"Nick! __W__here are you?__"_

_"Aqua! Ven! Terra!"_

_"__All for one and one for all!__"_

_"__I will find __Irma!"_

_"Chasers... creators of the keyblade..."_

_"__You are the source of all Heartless!__"_

_"__Keyblade__"_

_"My name is Naminé..."_

_"__I don't need a keyblade anymore, my heart is the weapon!__"_

_"__The legendary Pa__o__pu fruit__... its power is a mystery..."_

_"__Give back __Will__'s heart__!"_

_"Remember your true name!"_

_"Arigatou, Irma..."_

_"You said you'd do anything for me..."_

_"They are my protectors!"_

_"I said I'd do anything for you..."_

_"__Promise me that you'll come back__..."_

_"I love you, Irma..."_

Cassidy finally regained her vision, gazing towards the top of the castle.

"Whose memories were those?" Cassidy asked herself.

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Nick looked around; the arena this time was the first floor of the Hall of Empty Memories.

"I guess that means Xigbar is our opponent," Nick stated.

"Good guess, dude."

Nick turned and faced down Xigbar, the "Freeshooter", who was holding his twin laser guns.

For a while, no one had really gained the upper hand; Xigbar kept on teleporting around, shooting random patterns of laser beams towards our heroes while they managed to get in a few attacks of their own.

After enough hits, Xigbar used his power to change the shape of the arena, creating gaps that the gang didn't want to fall into. Nonetheless, they made their way around the gaps and delivered more attacks to Xigbar.

The gang began dodging all over the arena, trying to avoid the lasers that Xigbar was firing at them.

"Heads up!" Xigbar shouted, once more joining his blasters together and firing a massive laser bullet for Nick.

What Xigbar didn't expect was for Nick to teleport away just before the bullet could hit and kicking it back to Xigbar, causing considerable damage.

"That's it! I've officially had about enough of you!" Xigbar shouted, gathering massive amounts of energy.

"What's he doing?" Maylin asked.

"I have this sickening feeling we're about to find out," Haruka replied, cautiously holding up Sweet Crest.

After a few seconds, Xigbar teleported high into the air, taking advantage of his element.

"TAKE THIS!" Xigbar shouted as he began to spin like a maniac. While he was spinning, he pulled the trigger on his blasters, which sent a shower of lasers spiraling for the party.

Nick simply performed a few Reflega spells that easily absorbed the laser bullets.

"I can't take much more of this!" Mina shouted. "This freak's constant teleporting is getting on my last freaking nerve!"

"We've got to find a way to make that guy stand still!" Haruka noted while swiftly dodge rolling around the lasers.

"I think I know how to do it..." Nick stated, raising his keyblade and pouring a massive amount of energy into his spellcasting. "GATHER!"

That said, Nick cast an incredible Magnega spell that covered the entire aerial circumference of the arena, trapping Xigbar in the magnetic force wave. Nick took advantage of the golden opportunity and striking Xigbar one more time, ending the battle just as the Magnega spell faded.

"I... I lost? Me?"

With that, Xigbar disappeared, leaving behind a spiky yellow crystal. As soon as Nick picked it up, the group warped out of the arena.

Back in the Chapel Hallway, Nick could now see the dark portal that Diablos had escaped into.

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In the Castle Chapel, Diablos clutched his wounded chest, gasping in shock.

"I don't believe this!" Diablos shouted, trying his best to contain his shock. "How could I be defeated by a bunch of kids?!"

"Need some help?" Will's voice rang out in its evil tone as she appeared, grasping the Dark Keyblade.

"Will!"

Nick and the gang had just arrived.

"Wait. Is that...?" Maylin asked.

"Yes. A keyblade," Will explained, even though Nick already knew what the Dark Keyblade could do, having seen it used by the evil version of Nerissa, and actually having wielded it once before. "But, unlike yours, this keyblade holds the power to unlock people's hearts. Allow me to demonstrate."

Before anyone could react, Will spun around and thrust the Dark Keyblade into Diablos' chest. "Behold!" Dark energy began to radiate from the corrupted keyblade.

"Wha...? What do you think you are doing?"

Will paid her former master no heed. "Now, open your heart! Surrender it to the darkness! _Become darkness itself!_"

With that, Will retracted the Dark Keyblade and disappeared into a black portal. Diablos suddenly looked quite exhilarated at the new rush of power that was coming to him.

"Incredible!" he exclaimed. "This is incredible power! Darkness... THIS IS THE TRUE DARKNESS!!"

Just then, green flames of darkness exploded from Diablos, causing him to grow and transform. When the flames dissipated, Diablos had transformed into a massive black dragon.

"Holy..." Mina exclaimed. "That's got to be our biggest opponent yet!"

"But we've never let an opponent's size stop us before!" Nick proclaimed. "Now, come on! I've got an idea!"

Maylin and Haruka nodded as Mina began charging her powers over energy. Nick once again transformed into Limit Form. He leapt backwards, just out of range of the dragon's sharp teeth. When he was far enough away, Limit Form Nick began to spam his Strike Raid attack.

"Oh! I get it!" Maylin stated. "We have to use long-range attacks!"

No sooner had Maylin said that than the Dragon let out a burst of green flame that nearly scorched the group.

"HEY! Watch the dragon breath, boy! I just took a shower before we came here! WATER!!" Maylin shouted, activating a spell coin. As the letters blazed, a geyser of water burst forward and quickly shot into the Dragon's mouth, putting out the dragon fire and causing it to roar in agony.

"It's a just a little water," Maylin taunted. "Don't act like a baby!"

"_Ars Arcanum!!_" Limit Form Nick shouted, taking advantage of the opportunity and performing a mighty series of attacks onto the Dragon's head, which seemed to be its only weak spot. However, before he could finish the attack, the Dragon recovered from the stunning effect of Maylin's little water trick and snapped its teeth at Nick, who just barely managed to get out of the way in time. The Dragon expended its rage by stomping on the floor many times, each stomp creating a powerful shockwave that Nick and the girls were only barely able to dodge.

"Okay, I'm officially at my limit!" Limit Form Nick proclaimed, reverting out of his form. "You girls up for a tag-team?"

"We'd be delighted," Maylin responded as she and Haruka began glowing aqua blue and strawberry pink. Nick took his Drive orb out, which was now glowing a royal yellow.

"Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!!"

An explosion of light filled the arena, and when it cleared, Nick had transformed into Overdrive Form, wielding Acrossing Two in his right hand and Sweet Crest telekinetically in his left hand.

The Dragon didn't take too kindly to this, and began snapping its teeth at Nick again, but this time, he was ready, leaping into the air and spinning his keyblades around him in a vicious attack. This proved to be effective, knocking the Dragon back a few feet. Mina watched in amazement.

Having had enough of playing around, Nick concentrated hard and focused his magical energy. After a few seconds, he began spinning around incredibly fast, creating a sort of vortex around him. Amazingly, the Dragon was easily sucked into the vortex, being spun around like a rag doll. Mina was quite surprised at this incredible feat of strength.

After a while of this, Nick stopped spinning and thrust his keyblades out, dispelling the vortex and knocking the Dragon to the ground, badly wounded. Overdrive Form Nick landed on the ground and cast a powerful Stopra spell. Once he was sure the Dragon had been affected by the spell, Nick rushed forward and lashed out with a storm of mighty slashes.

Mina waited for a few seconds. Suddenly, time started up for the Dragon, and the damage from Nick's Lethal Frame attack took its toll. The Dragon thrashed its head about, roaring in agony. After a while of this, the Dragon slumped to the ground, defeated. The entire area was surrounded by more green flames, and when they dissipated, all of the thorns had disappeared, and nothing was left of Diablos but his cape, which lay in a sprawled mess on the ground.

Nick reverted out of Overdrive Form just in time to see Will walk into the arena.

"How ironic," she stated in her evil-sounding voice. "He was just another puppet after all."

"And that's supposed to mean what?" Maylin challenged.

"The Heartless were using Diablos from the beginning," Will explained. "He failed to notice the darkness in his heart eating away at him."

Will let out a soft evil laugh. "A fitting end for such a fool."

With that, Will disappeared into another dark portal, leaving our heroes just a bit confused. They left the Castle Chapel via the portal they'd entered from, which closed as soon as they came back.

Nick was the first to notice that a new passageway had been revealed nearby.

"Come on, girls! I'll bet that's where we'll find Irma!" Nick shouted, racing into the passageway, the others following.

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Author's Note: We're nearing the big turning point, people! I'm going to have so much fun writing the next chapter!

Next time on _Key to Her Heart:_

Chapter 15: For the One Instinctive Truth! You're Not Taking Irma's Heart!

Nick and company head to the Grand Hall and finally face off with the possessed Will. Shocking revelations are revealed along with an evil force that was thought to have been destroyed...


	15. For the One Instinctive Truth!

On the seventh floor of the Lift Stop, Nick and company can be seen fighting more Heartless, mostly Shadows along with the occasional Defender.

Once they were all gone, Nick noticed another silver orb floating nearby.

"How many more of these things are there going to be?" Maylin exclaimed.

"I think there's only three more," Nick replied. "We may as well take care of it."

The girls nodded, following Nick into the orb. When they came out the other side, Nick noticed that they were standing in front of Twilight Town's Old Mansion.

"Is this the real Twilight Town or just another Organization illusion?" Haruka asked.

"Remember, the Absent Silhouette battles always take place where that particular member originally died," Nick explained. "Since we're in Twilight Town, that probably means we're about to face Vexen."

Just as Nick finished his explanation, a bright flash filled the arena, and indeed, Vexen, the "Chilly Academic", was standing there, shield held in a defensive stance.

"Yep. Just as I thought," Nick stated, readying the Oathkeeper. The girls did the same with their keyblades.

Vexen concentrated, holding his shield out towards the group. After a second or two, a flurry of snowflakes blasted across the arena, turning Nick into a block of ice. Vexen simply laughed.

"Is it me, or does that laugh of his scare me?" Maylin noted.

After a couple seconds, Nick used his strength to break out of the ice block, taking advantage of Vexen's distraction to pull a few combos, temporarily destroying the Chilly Academic's shield and knocking him into the air.

Nick leaped towards Vexen to perform an aerial combo, but was interrupted when Vexen regenerated his shield and summoned a stalagmite from the ground that would have impaled Nick had he not dodged just in the nick of time.

When Nick regained his composure, he charged for Vexen once again, spinning his keyblade around him as he approached and finishing up the attack with a leaping somersault slash. The force of the attack was too much for Vexen, knocking him straight to the ground.

All of a sudden, Nick was lifted into the air by a consistent stream of attacks. After making a quick aerial recovery, Nick got a good look at his attacker; it was basically a Heartless version of himself!

"What the heck?" Nick shouted, dodging around a multitude of his dark self's attacks.

"Do you think Vexen summoned it?" Maylin wondered.

"Maybe that's why Vexen was concentrating so hard," Haruka noted while tending to Vexen's mobile self.

Nick and his dark self were fighting blade to blade, both equally matched, for a while, until Nick dodged around a leaping claw slash and struck his dark self in the back. As quick as a flash, the tides had turned in his favor.

Nick had now officially run out of patience, spinning a 360 and attacking with an energy spiral that destroyed Nick's dark self and sent Vexen skyward.

Not wasting any more time, Nick transformed into Limit Form and ripped forward with a powerful Zantetsuken attack that shattered the shield and tore straight through Vexen. That was the end of the battle.

Vexen retreated to the front of the mansion's gates before disappearing, leaving only an ice-blue crystal behind.

Once Nick and company returned to Hollow Bastion, Nick looked towards the nearby entrance.

"That's it, girls! That's gotta be the way to the Grand Hall!" Nick exclaimed, charging for the hallway to the Grand Hall. As they continued on, Nick noticed that there were women in the nearby glass capsules.

"What...?" Maylin questioned. "Who are they?"

"Those are our friends!" Haruka exclaimed.

"What has Diablos been doing while we've been exploring?" Nick wondered. "What would he want with all these girls?"

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(Destiny is never set in stone. The path you take will shape your destiny. Just never take destiny for granted.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: June 27th, 2007  
Summary: Nick and company head to the Grand Hall and finally face off with the possessed Will. Shocking revelations are revealed along with an evil force that was thought to have been destroyed...  
World Exploration Theme: "Hollow Bastion" _Kingdom Hearts_ version  
World Battle Theme: "Scherzo di Notte" _Kingdom Hearts_ version  
Absent Silhouette Theme (Vexen): "The 13th Reflection"  
Boss Battle Theme (Will): "Forze del Male"  
Nick's Sacrifice Theme: "Hikari KINGDOM HEARTS Instrumental Version"

Disclaimer: For about the 257th time, I don't own _W.I.T.C.H._ or _Kingdom Hearts_. They belong to Disney and Square Enix. Can we get on with this? This is probably going to be my favorite chapter thus far!

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Chapter 15: For The One Instinctive Truth! You're Not Taking Irma's Heart!

Nick and the girls began running up the stairway at the opposite end of the Grand Hall towards the keyhole. Nick quickly entered the arena, but the girls were suddenly knocked back by an invisible barrier.

Nick took a good look at his surroundings when he saw her; Irma was laying there at the center of the arena, completely unconscious. Nick ran up to her and shook her a few times, trying to get her to wake up.

"Irma? Irma, please! Please wake up..."

"It is no use."

Nick looked up, towards the giant keyhole. Will, in her dark form attire, was sitting on top of the keyhole door, grasping the Dark Keyblade. Whenever Will spoke now, it was in a slightly evil sounding voice, as if someone else was talking with her.

"That girl has lost her heart. She cannot wake up."

"Wait a minute," Nick suddenly noticed. "You're not Will!"

"The final keyhole can not be completed, so long as the last princess of heart still sleeps," Will stated, hopping off of the keyhole and floating down to the ground.

"What? Irma's a princess?" Nick stated, not believing what Will was saying.

"Yes, and without her power, the keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened."

Nick raised the Oathkeeper into a fighting stance. "Whoever you are, let Will go! _Give her back her heart!_"

"But first... you must give the princess back her heart," Will stated, pointing the Dark Keyblade towards Nick.

That simple action seemed to immobilize Nick, causing him to drop to the floor in pain.

"Don't you see?" Will exclaimed. "The princess' heart is responding. It has been there all along! Irma's heart rests within you!"

"Wha...? Irma's inside me?" Nick asked.

"I know all that there is to know."

"Just who are you?" Nick strained to wonder.

"It is I, Xehanort, the Seeker of Darkness."

Will walked up to Nick, holding the Dark Keyblade just above Nick's head. "Now, I shall release you, princess. Complete the keyhole with your power! Open the door and lead me into everlasting darkness!"

Nick could only stand there, waiting for his fate at the hands of his former best friend.

"Nick!"

Suddenly, Nick could hear Irma's voice, giving him the courage and strength to fight again. Reacting quickly, Nick brought up the Oathkeeper and deflected Will's attack.

"Forget it! There's no way you're taking Irma's heart!"

Nick readied himself for battle.

"Come," Will challenged.

With that, Nick let out a battle cry and charged forward.

Will easily sidestepped the attack and countered with a leaping uppercut that knocked Nick back a couple feet.

The very instant Nick recovered, he lashed out, pulling a couple combos on Will before leaping into the air and finishing with a Blitz-style attack. Will didn't seem at all fazed by this series of attacks.

Letting out a battle cry of her own, Will slashed downwards, then ripped forward with a powerful attack of her own that Nick just barely dodged.

"Here it comes!" Will shouted, jumping and striking the ground in front of her with the Dark Keyblade. This attack caused geysers of energy to erupt around her, preventing Nick from getting close until the attack ended.

Once the energy geysers dissipated, Will put up the Dark Keyblade, entering a defensive stance. "Well? Come and face me!" she challenged.

Nick was just about to charge over there, but he stopped himself short. _She's probably expecting me to just charge hopelessly into some kind of vicious attack,_ he thought. _I've got to find some way to... that's it!_

Grinning widely, Nick performed a powerful leap into the air, stopping himself just short of Will's position. Taking his chance, Nick dived to the ground keyblade first, the impact creating a powerful shockwave that lifted Will into the air, leaving her completely vulnerable.

Nick took advantage of this opportunity and jumped into the air, but before he could pull his attack, Will recovered and nearly impaled Nick with a spinning uppercut.

Once Will landed on the ground, she began to power up, a dark energy sphere encasing her free hand as dark electricity flowed around her.

"Now witness true power!" Will shouted.

Nothing more said, Will charged for Nick, performing another of her dashing attacks. What was different now was that every time Will dashed, the Dark Keyblade threw an energy disc in a straight line along the path of her attack. This made it a little harder to avoid.

As Nick leapt back from the recoil of another of Will's jumping attacks, he pressed his feet to the ground and tensed up, just waiting for Will to try something.

Indeed, the instant Will got close enough, Nick pushed himself forward, going into a super-fast forward evasive dash that passed right by Will as she came close. The Oathkeeper spun around Nick as he performed the dash, catching Will by surprise and knocking her off balance.

When Nick landed on his feet again, he grinned. "Note to self: thank Haruka for helping me power up the Strike Dash."

Will quickly recovered and jumped into the air, the Dark Keyblade glowing brightly with the power of darkness. "Heal this!!" Will taunted, slamming her weapon into the ground. This created a series of energy geysers that seemed to follow Nick for a few seconds. When the attack was over, Nick noticed that Will wasn't in her powered-up form anymore. Apparently, that tracking energy geyser attack seemed to use up all of the power Will needed to stay in her super-charged form.

"Well? Is that all you've got?" Will challenged.

"Oh, not by a long shot, Will. Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!!"

After the familiar flash of silver light, Nick had transformed into Limit Form.

"Well," Will stated, her voice losing its evil quality for a few seconds. "That's a cool new trick."

"I picked it up in our travels," Nick replied. _Wow. Somehow, when she complimented me on Limit Form, the evilness in her eyes disappeared for a few seconds. Could that mean that the Will I remember is still in there?_

Nick didn't have any time to contemplate the matter, because Will had just transformed into her powered-up form again, but this time, she had levitated into the air, holding the Dark Keyblade above her. Her evil grin had returned.

"Now! Open your heart to the darkness!" was all Will said before zipping forward, completely disappearing from sight.

Nick didn't have a chance to counter, because at that very moment, Will came rocketing back, slashing fiercely at Nick as she passed. She kept this up for a while, not giving her former friend any time to react or counter.

After a while of this, Will shouted "It's over!" and drove the Dark Keyblade into the ground, causing the now-famous energy geysers to erupt out of the entire arena, severely damaging Nick.

When the assault was over, Will dropped to the ground, grinning evilly. "Well? You about ready to give up?"

"NEVER!" a voice shouted from the other side of the arena. Will looked to the side; Mina, Maylin, and Haruka had finally forced their way through the invisible barrier that had surrounded the arena.

"We won't let him give up!" Haruka shouted, angrily swinging her keyblade.

"We're his best friends until the end!" Maylin continued, drawing a few of her spell coins in case Will decided to pull something.

"You're supposed to be my twin, Will!" Mina exclaimed. "You should know better! The Will I became friends with would NEVER surrender to the darkness this easily!"

"Oh, poor, simple-minded Mina," Will stated, walking towards the girls. "How little you understand. The darkness gives me all the power I will EVER need!"

Mina readied Infinity Bullet. "Don't get me started, Will. I don't want to fight you!"

"Of course you don't," Will taunted. "It's because you're-"

Will suddenly jerked backwards; Nick had just grabbed her shoulder.

"Will... please..." Nick pleaded. "I want you back on our side..."

Will began struggling to get Nick off, but to no avail. "Get off of me, boy!"

"No, Will..." Nick replied, damaged as he was. "Not until you're back with us..."

"Lay off, I said!" Will shouted, thrashing about.

Suddenly, a slashing sound was heard, and Nick coughed. The girls gasped in shock, and Will could easily see why; there was blood on her hands, and Nick looked like he'd been stabbed. Will looked down, and what she saw confirmed her fears; she had just run Nick through with the Dark Keyblade.

As quick as a flash, Will's eyes reverted to her normal state, and she shuddered in fear; this wasn't what she wanted!

"Nick!!" Will exclaimed, the evil in her voice having completely disappeared.

Nick could say nothing as he began to fall backwards, the Dark Keyblade wrenching itself from him. The instant the corrupted weapon was released, two hearts, represented as balls of glowing light, came from Nick.

The Dark Keyblade fell to the ground and evaporated in a swirl of dark energy, releasing the other hearts it had been forged from and returning them to the Princesses of Heart that rested nearby.

In reaction to this, the keyhole to Hollow Bastion began to glow. Nick's body continued to fall, having completely lost all of his energy in the release of his heart.

Maylin, always the emotional type, began to cry and rushed towards Nick's falling body, but was quickly restrained by Haruka.

"Maylin, STOP! Acting impulsive like that isn't going to bring Nick back!" Haruka shouted.

Just then, Irma woke up, her eyes regaining their beautiful luminescence thanks to the return of her lost heart. She steadied herself as she stood up, then caught sight of Nick's fading body.

"Nick?" Irma asked, starting to get worried. Nick, with the last of his strength, gave a small wave to Irma and smiled.

Not wanting to lose her only chance, Irma hopped to her feet and raced towards the disappearing Nick, but it was too late; Nick disappeared and turned into little sparkles of light that flew towards the ceiling of the Grand Hall.

"Nick! Get back here, Nick!" Maylin shouted, breaking down into tears. Haruka walked up and comforted her. Mina could only look on in shock.

Will couldn't believe what she had just done. She looked into the sky. "Nick... I'm SO sorry..."

Somehow, she could hear a voice saying, _"It's okay, Will. I forgive you..."_

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Meanwhile, in a mysterious void, Nick could feel himself disappearing; feeling his body lost to the darkness.

"What's... what's happening to me?" Nick could hear himself say. "I'm fading... falling... into darkness..."

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Back in Hollow Bastion, the girls were searching for Nick's whereabouts, but to no avail; their best friend was completely gone.

"Nick... are you really..." Irma stated, her eyes turning misty. "No... it can't be... I WON'T LET HIM GO!!"

Irma quickly materialized her Mysterious Abyss keyblade. Suddenly, Will dropped to her knees.

"Will?" Irma asked, concerned about her best friend's state. Right now, she didn't care that Will had stolen her heart and tried to destroy Nick. Will was still her friend, and that's all that mattered.

"Go ahead... destroy me. I deserve it because of everything I did..." Will simply stated, accepting her expected fate.

Will didn't expect Irma to pull her into a tight hug. "Will... I don't care about any of that... you couldn't help yourself. The only thing that matters is that you're my friend..."

Will couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Even after everything I did to you and the others... you still want to be my friend?"

"Of course, Will," Irma replied.

Will returned the embrace. "Thank you, Irma..."

"So, you have awakened at last, princess."

Everyone readied their weapons and turned around to face the source of the voice: Xehanort, who they thought had been destroyed a year ago at the climax of the Keyblade Wars.

"You again!" Will shouted.

"The keyhole is now complete. You have served your purpose. But now that you have expended your worth, I am afraid you cannot be allowed to live any longer."

"I don't think so, Xehanort!" Irma shouted, readying Mysterious Abyss and materializing Divine Rose alongside her natural keyblade. "I made a promise to Nick that I'd always be with him. I'm not about to break it!"

Xehanort simply laughed as he explained how he'd survived. "It is true that the one you call 'Nick' defeated me at the climax of the Keyblade Wars, but I was only absorbed by Kingdom Hearts. I drew on the dark powers that were still left there and bided my time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. The instant I sensed a weakness in Will's heart, I made my move and possessed her. I knew that your little boyfriend would have been devastated by the loss of his lover when I took Heatherfield's heart, but I didn't expect him to meet up with those two from Candracar."

"So it was YOU!" Maylin exclaimed. "You've been the one sending all of these Heartless and Nobodies after us!"

"Are you sure we'll be able to take him on like this?" Haruka whispered to Maylin.

"I really don't know..." Maylin admitted, but stopped suddenly when she saw Xehanort freeze.

"Im... impossible..." Xehanort exclaimed. Will had her hand extended, and she was using the dark powers she had acquired to freeze Xehanort in his place.

"I'm done being your puppet, Xehanort," Will proclaimed, "and I won't make the mistake I made EVER AGAIN!!"

"You... you're still a being of the darkness..." Xehanort stated matter-of-factly.

"I understand that. But darkness doesn't always have to be a bad thing," Will explained. "And if I ever get lost in the blinding light, the darkness... MY darkness... will show me the way!"

Will let out a smile; one full of life and happiness, a smile she hadn't made in a long while. "I learned that from someone very dear to me."

"Now, GO! The Heartless are coming!" Will shouted. "I'll hold off Xehanort!"

Indeed, many Neoshadows appeared around the group. Nothing more needed to be said, as Maylin, Mina, Haruka, and Irma ran off, exiting the Grand Hall as fast as they could.

"What about the keyhole?" Maylin asked.

"Only Nick can seal the keyhole! We'll have to come back for it!" Haruka shouted.

While all this transpired, a certain Neoshadow had been watching the group, standing in a very familiar stance.

Making up its (sorta) limited mind, the Neoshadow decided to follow the girls.

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And so it went, as the girls made their way back to the Entrance Hall, fighting many Heartless along the way, not even knowing that a certain Heartless was following them.

_Don't they even see me? _the Neoshadow thought. _Or can't they even sense me? Something very weird is going on here..._

Once the gang had finally made it back to the Entrance Hall, they finally noticed the Neoshadow that was following them.

"What the...?" Maylin shouted. "Get away, you stupid Heartless! LEAVE US ALONE!" With that, Maylin started bopping the Neoshadow on the head with Chinese Spirit. It seemed to get mad.

_Hey, hey, hey! Maylin, knock it off! That hurts, you know!_ it thought, knowing very well that it couldn't talk in its current state.

"Neoshadows are always stubborn, Maylin," Haruka noted, readying Sweet Crest. Irma, however, was staring in wonder at this Neoshadow.

"Irma, stop gaping at it like a new summer dress!" Mina shouted.

"Nick?" Irma stated.

_Well, at least she knows who I am,_ the Neoshadow though

Suddenly, a whole group of Neoshadows surrounded the party, just like before. Irma, however, wasn't afraid. "This time, I'll protect you."

With that, Irma wrapped her arms around the Neoshadow that had followed them and pulled it close to her.

When the other Neoshadows tried to attack Irma, they were blasted away by a blinding flash of light. When everyone could see again, the Neoshadow had transformed back into Nick, who was returning Irma's embrace.

"Irma... thank you so much..." Nick stated, finally smiling after a while.

"No prob. I love you, Nick..."

"I love you, too, Irma..."

Before anyone could comment, more Neoshadows appeared. Everyone readied their keyblades just as Orube busted through the doors of the Entrance Hall, taking care of the Neoshadows.

"Get out of here, guys!" Orube shouted.

"No way!" Nick shouted. "I still have a friend back there!"

"I'll get her out of there!" Orube exclaimed. "Now go! You don't want to be Heartless chow, do you?"

"Right," Nick replied. "Come on, girls, let's go."

Everyone made a hasty exit while Orube continued attacking the Neoshadows.

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Author's Note: Yes, I turned Nick into a Neoshadow instead of a regular Shadow because Neoshadows kick a lot more ass. Anyways...

Next time:

Chapter 16: Lovers Reunited at Last! Regrouping in Traverse Town!

Nick and company, Irma included, hightail it back to Traverse Town and explain to Leon and the gang about what happened. Irma also tells Nick an ancient story that her grandmother used to tell, and Nick finally realizes that he's not alone anymore.


	16. Lovers Reunited at Last!

"So tell me what happened," Leon inquired.

And so Nick, Maylin, and Haruka told the Gunblade wielder everything they'd been through since they first left Traverse Town; about their world adventures, the Absent Silhouettes, their trials in Hollow Bastion, everything. It was almost 3 in the morning by the time the keyblade-wielding trio had finished their tale.

"So the darkness is flowing out of the Keyhole..." Leon stated.

"No wonder there are more and more Heartless everywhere. The only way to stop them is..." Aerith added, but was cut off by Nick.

"Seal the Keyhole, right?" Sora asked.

"Maybe," Leon replied. "But no one knows what will happen once it's sealed."

"Well, we can't just stay here," Nick replied. "We have to do something. I've got two friends back there."

"That's right. You have two more friends to worry about. Will's Dark Keyblade must have been born of the captive maidens' hearts; just like that Keyhole you saw."

Leon turned towards Irma, who had her Mysterious Abyss keyblade resting on her shoulder

"Of course, without Irma's heart, it remained incomplete. Once the Dark Keyblade was destroyed, the maidens' hearts should have been freed. Don't worry, Nick. If anyone can save your friend, you can," Leon continued.

"We'll be fine," Nick stated, twirling the Oathkeeper in his hand. "And Xehanort is going to pay. We'll see to that."

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We now see a dark abyss. A white path winds gently through the black nothingness.

"Nick... Irma..." Will called out. The path slowly turns in our view, and comes onto a horizontal plane. "I'm sorry..."

We follow the path back.

"Is this... the world of death?" Will asked herself.

We now find Will, head hung and looking lost, walking along the path. She flickers slightly as if not quite totally real. Then she stumbles and stops as a blue light surrounds her. Clutching his chest, she talks to herself.

"I can't disappear yet," Will said. The aura subsides. "Not until I've met Nick and Irma one more time..."

_Will, can you hear me?_

Will raises her head only fractionally, but looks about warily.

_I__'__ll be there soon._

Will turns abruptly to see who's there.

"Who's there?" Will asked. But she faces only darkness.

_Another Keyblade... __I__'__ve gotten the Keyblade for this side._

Will looks confused.

_I__'__ve been talking to you all along. But my words were hindered by the darkness covering your heart._

"I don't know who you are, but..." Will said. "What's happened to me?"

_Your heart has overcome the darkness. But you couldn__'__t take back your body._

_So only your heart was left behind__In this dark side where stolen hearts are gathered._

"What should I do?" Will asked. Will turns to face the way onwards again.

_The door of darkness that is soon going to appear..._

_That door, through which we cannot pass._

Will looks ahead and sees a large door at the end of the path.

_In order to close it, two keys and two hearts are needed._

_Perhaps you too, like me, came here for that purpose._

_Maybe it was fate..._

"Fate..." Will whispered as she returned her attention onward. "You know everything, don't you? If that's so, I want you to tell me one more thing... Are Nick and Irma safe?" On this last line, Will seems concerned.

_You yourself should be able to feel their hearts._

From the distance, Nick comes running through the darkness towards Will.

_How you perceive your friends...__Is dependent on your own heart._

Nick is very close now. He is smiling. Will has her eyes closed. She has been imagining Nick. She opens her eyes, seemingly much more at ease.

"Thank you," Will says to herself. The screen fades white.

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(Life is like a game of cards. You never really know what kind of hand you'll draw next...)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: July 12th, 2007  
Summary: Nick and company, Irma included, hightail it back to Traverse Town and explain to Leon and the gang about what happened. Irma also tells Nick an ancient story that her grandmother used to tell, and Nick finally realizes that he's not alone anymore.  
World Exploration Theme: "Traverse Town"  
Absent Silhouette Theme (Xaldin): "The 13th Dilemma"  
Tournament Theme (Gold Cup): "Go For It!"

Disclaimer: I own nothing of _Kingdom Hearts_ or _W.I.T.C.H._ except my own characters. They belong to Disney and Square Enix. I also own nothing from any anime or video games adapted for this story.

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Chapter 16: Lovers Reunited at Last! Regrouping in Traverse Town!

Nick and Irma had decided to head to the Secret Waterway for a little alone time. Maylin, Mina, and Haruka had split to check out the town and make sure that everything was holding up all right since the increase of Heartless and Nobodies had started.

Nick looked towards the mural of the moon that was at the other end of the Secret Waterway.

"A light at the end of the tunnel..." Irma whispered.

"Oh, your grandma's story, right?" Nick asked.

_Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light._

_Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. _

_But small fragments of light survived... in the hearts of children..._

_With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return..._

_So, listen, child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away. Do you understand, Irma?_

"That's right. We were together," Irma replied.

"You know what's funny? I looked everywhere for you, but you were with me all along. Finally, we're together, Irma. Now, it's time to get Will back."

"You think it'll ever be the same again between us? Will did turn to the darkness..."

"When I turned into a Heartless, you saved me, remember?"

Nick begins to remember what happened before...

"I was lost in the darkness." Nick explained, "I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through the dark, I started forgetting things... my friends, who I was. The darkness almost swallowed me. But then I heard your voice... your voice."

Back in the Secret Waterway, Nick smiled at Irma.

"You brought me back."

"I didn't want to just forget about you, Nick. I couldn't."

"That's it! Our hearts are connected. And the light from our hearts broke through the darkness. I saw that light. I think that's what saved me. No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within. I guess it's more than just a fairy tale."

"Well, let's go," Irma stated.

"You can't go," Nick replied. This surprised Irma.

"Why not?"

"Because it's way too dangerous."

"Come on, Nick. We made it this far by sticking together. You can't go alone."

"Irma, even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore. Right?"

"I can't help?"

"You'd kind of be in my way."

"Okay. You win."

With that, Irma walked up to Nick and placed something in his hand. It turned out to be a colorful star just like the Oathkeeper's keychain, the very one she'd created in art class the day before this whole mess started.

"Take this. It's my lucky charm, so be sure to bring it back to me, okay?" Irma said.

"Don't worry. I will," Nick replied.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Irma walked up and embraced Nick, who gladly returned it.

"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you..."

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A couple hours later, daybreak had hit Traverse Town. Nick and Irma came from the Second District just in time to meet up Mina, Maylin, and Haruka, who had gathered some supplies for the upcoming trip.

"Hey, girls!" Nick greeted. "How's Traverse Town holding up?"

"It's doing pretty good," Mina replied. "More and more Heartless everywhere, but nothing we couldn't handle."

"The portal's open again," Maylin explained. "We can head back to Hollow Bastion anytime you're ready."

Suddenly, Nick noticed another silver orb hanging on the wall nearby. "We'll have to take care of that first."

Nick looked at the orb; there were three lances imprinted on it. "Xaldin. I figured. Irma, you want to back me up on this one?"

"I'd be delighted," Irma replied, following Nick into the orb.

On the other side, they came out at the very top of the Heatherfield Radio Tower. This left Irma confused. "Who restored Heatherfield all of a sudden?"

"I don't think this is the real Heatherfield, Irma. Remember? The Absent Silhouette battles take place where that particular member originally died. When we were fighting Nerissa, we defeated Xaldin all the way up here. It's been a few years, so I almost forgot..."

Sure enough, the orb disappeared and Xaldin materialized, swinging his lances. Nick and Irma readied their keyblades just as Xaldin began spinning his lances around him. A gust of wind began picking up around the edges of the building.

"The two of you? That's all they send?" Xaldin taunted, aiming his lances for the trio. "This will be easier than I thought."

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Xaldin! The two of us together are more than enough to take you on!" Nick exclaimed, brandishing Oathkeeper.

"Where's the fun in this?" Xaldin replied, his lances spinning around him. Suddenly, all six of them lunged for Irma, who was barely able to block them with Mysterious Abyss. Nick lunged for Xaldin with Oathkeeper and Fatal Crest, and was able to get in a few good hits before Xaldin disappeared in a swirl of wind, reappearing a few yards away.

Xaldin began attacking furiously, but Nick was ready, holding his hands out and focusing his magical energy. Before the Whirlwind Lancer's weapon could strike him, it easily bounced off of an aqua blue barrier that Nick had created. "I knew giving Honor Form a workout would come in handy someday."

"Wind, guard me!" Xaldin exclaimed, creating a shield of wind that caused Irma's attacks to simply bounce off.

"Drat! This isn't working! I can't seem to get any attacks through!" Irma shouted, swinging Mysterious Abyss in frustration.

"Let me give it a try, Irma," Nick shouted, raising the Oathkeeper into the air. "That barrier may be guarding against direct physical attacks, but it's no elemental guard! THUNDER!"

True to Nick's word, the bolt of thunder that he summoned easily pierced through Xaldin's shield of air and struck the Whirlwind Lancer, knocking him off balance.

"Oh, a comedian, huh? Well, let's see how you like this! _Spiking Strike!_" Xaldin shouted, his lances spinning around him like a merry-go-round. He began twirling until he was blurred, his lances going crazy in the process. Suddenly, a green flash appeared on Xaldin's spinning form. Nick was probably the only one who noticed it, holding out his hand. His palm flashed the same shade of green. Feeling confident, Nick leaped _very_ high into the air, using his new temporary power to aim an attack straight for Xaldin. Before the Whirlwind Lancer knew what hit him, Nick had dropped at high speeds from the sky above him and driven Oathkeeper into Xaldin's chest, stopping the Whirlwind Lancer's attack and knocking him far back.

Taking his chance, Nick transformed into Limit Form, switching Oathkeeper for the Kingdom Key.

"Wow, you got a new Drive Form?" Irma asked, visibly impressed.

"Yep. One loaded with all of Sora's old abilities," Limit Form Nick explained. "I'll bet he is SO jealous."

Just as Xaldin got close enough, Limit Form Nick went into a Sonic Blade attack, rocketing back and forth with the Kingdom Key stuck out. It got in a few good hits, but Xaldin was too fast for the attack to do its full potential.

Suddenly, a bright flash emitted from out of nowhere, and Nick looked over at Irma; it seemed that SHE had transformed into Limit Form. _She looks so cute in those clothes..._

"Ask questions later. Limits NOW," Irma stated, raising Mysterious Abyss. Nick smiled.

A few seconds later, Irma performed a reversal around Xaldin and another lance strike and prepared for a limit. Nick did the same thing, grinning all the while.

Before Xaldin could even react, Limit Form Nick and Limit Form Irma unleashed their strongest limits (Ars Arcanum and Ragnarok, respectively), tearing into Xaldin like there was no tomorrow.

After a while of getting beaten up, in which Xaldin's robes had been thoroughly torn up...

"Enough!" Xaldin exclaimed, his lances turning into some sort of dragon. The Whirlwind Lancer hopped on the makeshift dragon and disappeared from sight through the barrier.

"What just happened?" Irma asked, cautiously holding Mysterious Abyss.

"Nick! Irma! Beware the winds of despair!" Xaldin's voice echoed as the lance dragon's head popped up from below the side of the building, gathering some weird form of energy.

"What is he doing?" Irma asked. As if on cue, the lance dragon shot a gigantic whirlwind from its mouth, aiming straight for the duo.

"Oh, hell! SCATTER!" Nick shouted, but there was nowhere to run – but up. Nick struck the ground with Oathkeeper and propelled himself high into the air. Irma was about to do the same, but suddenly, all she saw was that gust of wind before her vision went blank.

When Nick landed, the gust had settled. Nick looked around for Irma, and let out a gasp of shock: Irma was sprawled across the ground, looking very beat up. Her heart, glowing a radiant blue, was hovering just a few inches above her.

"That was barely even a challenge. Now, your girlfriend's heart is mine!" Xaldin shouted, charging for Irma's heart.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Nick shouted. Xaldin paid no heed to Nick's command, but just as he was about to take Irma's heart, he was met smack in the face with Nick's Oathkeeper. He quickly switched around and struck with Fatal Crest.

"Two keyblades? That isn't possible! It's just crazy!" Xaldin shouted, rubbing the spot on his face where he'd been attacked.

"Hey, people do crazy things when they're in love," Nick replied before he struck again, this time with BOTH of his Keyblades. Xaldin could only float there and take the beating as Nick effortlessly smacked Xaldin around with the dual keyblades, using incredible combo techniques that put even some of Sora's best to shame. After a while of this, Nick leapt back a bit, both of his Keyblades glowing brightly. He charged back towards the now helpless Whirlwind Lancer and struck hard, attacking in a vertical motion with Oathkeeper and a horizontal motion with Fatal Crest. The aptly named "Cross Attack" sent Xaldin stumbling back, clutching his wounded chest. Nick leapt to the very top of the radio tower, holding out Oathkeeper towards Xaldin. It began glowing with a bright light.

"I'm not letting you take Irma's heart, you non-existent freak!" Nick shouted, and with that, the Oathkeeper shot a bright beam of light from its tip that pierced straight through Xaldin. After a while, Xaldin's body began to break up, being slowly consumed by the darkness that he wielded. He let out one last scream before disappearing completely.

Nick hopped back down to the roof, helping Irma up.

"Nice little performance there," Nick stated.

"Hey, I had to make it look convincing. Just one more left," Irma responded, brushing herself off and reverting out of her Limit Form. Once everything was clear, they warped out of the arena.

"What took you guys so long?" Maylin stated, tapping her foot impatiently. Nick had to fight back a laugh; Maylin was never the most patient girl.

"Like I told Nick, I had to make it look convincing," Irma repeated.

"All right, everybody, if we're all equipped, let's head back to Hollow Bastion!" both Nick and Irma exclaimed.

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Author's Note: Don't worry if this chapter seems a bit lazy. It's three in the morning and I'm sleepy.

Next time:

Chapter 17: This is What We Fight For! Returning to Seal Hollow Bastion!

Nick and the party, Irma included, return to Hollow Bastion in hopes of sealing the keyhole. However, Will is nowhere to be found. Did she survive her scuffle with Xehanort?


	17. This is What We Fight For!

Hollow Bastion.

It once used to be a grand castle, but now it stands in a desperate state of disrepair, thanks to the forces of the Heartless.

Hollow Bastion is known as the "guardian" of the door to darkness. That means one false step, and this entire world would be covered in darkness.

That's what Nick and his friends are about to find out.

As they all came out of the portal to Hollow Bastion, Nick and company noticed Orube standing at the edge of the cliff. "Something the matter, Orube?" Maylin asked.

"Taranee and the others are still in that castle," the warrior from Basiliade replied.

"Are they being held hostage?" Haruka wondered.

"No... I don't think so. It's like they've gathered here," Orube inquired.

"Whatever the reason, they may need our help," Nick stated. "The Heartless are increasing in numbers just about everywhere."

"You may need my powers, so I'll come with you," Orube propositioned.

With Orube in the party, the gang found their way to the Library, where Taranee had found herself.

"Taranee!" Orube shouted, rushing up and throwing her arms around the Fire Guardian.

"Okay, okay, Orube, it's good to see you, too," Taranee replied. "Did you guys make it back to Traverse Town okay?"

"No trouble at all," Nick noted. "But we're still short a Guardian. Do you have any idea where Will might be?"

"I really don't know," Taranee replied. "After her little scuffle with Xehanort, she just vanished. Something about finding her own path..."

"She's been put through so much torture because of Xehanort," Nick stated. "She must have left to find a way to contain the darkness still inside her."

"Are the Maidens okay? We're worried about them," Haruka explained.

"They should be in the Castle Chapel. They're trying their best to hold back the darkness that's coming from the keyhole," Taranee explained. "Nick, you're the only one who can seal the keyhole."

"I know that. We're going to fix this mess and stop Xehanort once and for all. And this time, I MEAN IT!" Nick exclaimed, the others joining in.

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Meanwhile, somewhere far away, a mysterious shadowed figure can be seen plotting its next move.

"Those poor, simple-minded fools. They really think they can completely destroy the darkness?"

The figure laughed. "Xehanort is a joke. You haven't faced REAL darkness until you've squared off against me..."

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(Guardians of light and darkness play a role. What exactly that role means, no one's really sure...)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: July 17th, 2007  
Summary: Nick and the party, Irma included, return to Hollow Bastion in hopes of sealing the keyhole. However, Will is nowhere to be found. Did she survive her scuffle with Xehanort?  
World Exploration Theme: "Hollow Bastion" _Kingdom Hearts_ version  
World Battle Theme: "Scherzo di Notte" _Kingdom Hearts _version  
Absent Silhouette Theme (Xemnas): "Darkness of the Unknown" verse three  
Boss Battle Theme (Behemoth): "Destiny's Force"

Note: This chapter will have a few references to the final chapter of my "Keyblade Legacy" series.

Disclaimer: I don't own _W.I.T.C.H._ or _Kingdom Hearts_ or any affiliated properties. They belong to Disney and Square Enix, respectively. Any video games or anime series used in this story are property of their original creators. This story copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger, July 2007.

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Chapter 17: This is What We Fight For! Returning to Seal Hollow Bastion!

Another long trip through the twisting hallways of Hollow Bastion came in short order for our traveling keyblade bearers as they traversed the pathways they'd set for themselves during their first trip. More and more powerful Heartless had emerged in an attempt to slow our heroes down, but they were no match.

Along the way, Nick began seeing strange images in his head...

_"Nenji-chan! This way!" _

_A 16-year-old with short, violet hair..._

"_Your efforts are futile, little boy..."_

_A man clad in silver armor with a sword made of light..._

"_I hoped for a more challenging battle!"_

_A mysterious person in a silver hood..._

"_Destroy it all! Leave nothing behind!"_

_A buff man with hordes of shadows behind him..._

"_That's what we're here for!"_

_A boy and two girls protecting a pink-haired woman..._

"_The keyblade is truly a marvelous weapon..."_

_A gathering of mystery..._

"_Transfer! Chaos Gate, open!"_

_A spherical gate, glowing blue..._

"_I see. Unfortunately, I can't let you live."_

_A man with long black hair holding a keyblade..._

"_You shame yourself and the syndicate."_

_Another character in a silver hood..._

"_Together, we are Pretty Cure!"_

_Five girls in colorful dresses..._

"_The rain is so soothing..."_

_A blonde girl looking out a nearby window..._

"_I'll take care of this!"_

_A boy holding a gemstone..._

"_I wanted to see you at least once..."_

_A blonde girl in the window of a mansion..._

"_Maybe it was all for nothing..."_

_A boy with a keyblade, blocking numerous attacks..._

"_Will you slow down?"_

_A flash of fire red..._

"_If only it were in more capable hands..."_

_Another gathering..._

"_You're the one causing all this trouble!"_

_A distant, far-off planet..._

"_My darkness will show me the way!"_

_A red-haired girl facing a muscular, brown-haired man with a tomahawk..._

"_By the all-spark..."_

_Legions of giant robots..._

"_Please stop the fighting! It won't change anything!"_

_A blonde girl holding her arms out..._

"_You know too much!"_

_Inside a palace of honor..._

"_When will you learn?"_

_A man holding his sword into the air..._

"_This world's too good for you!"_

_A collection of silver creatures..._

"_This whole place is going to collapse if we don't hightail it!"_

_A falling tower..._

"_You should understand this by now..."_

_A flash of a hooded person..._

"_The power of the paopu fruit is a mystery..."_

_A star-shaped fruit..._

"_In your present state you cannot possibly understand."_

_Another flash of the hooded person..._

"_Like it's any of YOUR business?"_

_A blue-haired man charging forward..._

"_I don't care! I have to save him!"_

_A brown-haired girl tearing through the shadows..._

"_Promise me that you'll come back..."_

_A hand reaching through the darkness..._

Nick shook his head. What were all those images?

Haruka noticed Nick's thoughtful expression. "Something wrong, Nick?"

"I'm not sure," Nick replied. "I just saw some odd images in my head, but I'm not sure if they were flashbacks or visions of the future..."

Along the way, the party encountered yet another Absent Silhouette orb, this one embedded with what looked like a snowflake.

"That's Xemnas," Nick noted. "He's the last one."

"Let's do this," Irma stated, following Nick into the portal.

Once inside, Nick immediately recognized the battlefield: it was the realm of nothingness, just like during their final battle against Nerissa those many years ago.

Nick looked forward, and there was Xemnas, in his black-and-white robes, holding his laser swords.

Nick and Irma quickly shifted into fighting stances.

"Anger and hate are supreme," Xemnas stated as emotionless as ever.

Before Nick and Irma could react, Xemnas had thrown the two into the air, where they were bombarded by lightning bolts. This, of course, didn't faze Nick and Irma, who easily dodged around the bolts and avoided Xemnas' attacks.

Once the assault was over, they dropped to the ground, only to be shot at by laser bolts coming non-stop from Xemnas and his clone.

Nick was able to block some of the bolts by putting the Oathkeeper up in a defensive stance, while Irma simply performed Reflect spells that absorbed the bolts. Before the two could get an attack in edgewise, Xemnas teleported far away, throwing two balls of light that turned into giant spheres of electricity. Nick performed a Strike Dash to evade the attack, followed by a Wind Flip to catch Xemnas off guard.

Xemnas tried to guard against Nick's spinning form, but it was to no avail, as Nick drew his Fatal Crest keyblade and pulled a full combo on Xemnas, knocking him back a few feet.

As the battle wore on, Xemnas began teleporting more and more, making it that much harder for the two lovers to get any good hits in. They also had to endure multiple laser attacks of varying patterns. Apparently, Xemnas was mixing up his attack patterns to confuse our heroes.

After enough time, Xemnas held out his hands, surrounded with dark electricity. "Can you spare... a heart?"

"What are you talking..." Nick's sentence was cut short as Xemnas struck him with a beam of dark energy that lifted him up into the air. As he hung there, Nick could feel his energy slowly draining away. He struggled to escape Xemnas' grip, but it was to no avail.

"Nick!" Irma shouted, rushing forward, only to be knocked back by another Xemnas clone. She looked up at Nick, who was starting to fade away. "You're going to pay for this, Xemnas..."

Suddenly, the Oathkeeper materialized in Irma's hand. She looked in wonder at it, then looked back towards Nick and Xemnas. She knew what she had to do. Raising the Oathkeeper, she charged for her lover.

Again, the Xemnas clone lashed out at the brunette, but she simply swatted it away with Oathkeeper. Yet another clone attacked, but was also smacked away. By the time the 3rd clone started its attack, Irma had officially had just about enough.

"I'm tired of these games! TAKE THIS!" Irma shouted, raising the Oathkeeper towards the Xemnas clone. A rapid burst of energy beams shot from the mystic blade and slammed into the Xemnas clone, knocking it back a ways.

She continued charging for Nick, using her new attack whenever Xemnas' clones got close, and in no time at all, she had reached Xemnas. Taking quick action, she leapt into the air and struck, sending the Superior flying and releasing Nick. Irma continued the attack by performing a somersault spin attack followed by a hard uppercut that sent Xemnas into the air.

"Hey, Nick?" Irma asked. "Did you notice that this fight is playing out a lot like our last battle against Nerissa?"

"Yeah, it's uncanny," Nick admitted.

Just as Nick finished his sentence, the two were surrounded by a dark void.

"There's no such thing as light," Xemnas stated, holding his glowing hands towards Nick and Irma.

"INCOMING!!"

Just as Nick had expected, thousands upon thousands of laser bolts shot for the duo, who quickly sprung into action and used their keyblades to deflect as many lasers as they could.

Eventually, the barrage came to an end. Suddenly, Irma found herself far away from Xemnas, who was aiming a laser sword straight for Nick.

"Nick!" Irma shouted, picking up Mysterious Abyss and charging forward. Just before she could get to Nick, Xemnas grabbed Irma by her shirt collar and lifted her into the air. Nick got up and tried to save his lover, but Xemnas only pushed him back.

Xemnas suddenly swung his laser sword and slammed it straight into Irma's back, causing the brunette to scream in pain.

The assault only got worse, as Xemnas continuously slammed the laser sword into Irma, knocking her around like a rag doll. Nick's anger kept growing each time Xemnas struck.

Nick suddenly found himself charging forward, brandishing Oathkeeper. Xemnas slammed his laser sword into Irma's back again, not noticing that Irma had just tossed Mysterious Abyss to Nick, who readily caught it.

Xemnas then slammed his laser sword into Irma's side, but that was as far as the Superior got before Nick struck Xemnas with Oathkeeper and Mysterious Abyss together, letting Irma drop to the ground, clutching the spots where she'd been attacked.

Nick let out a battle cry, dodging around a strike from the laser sword and slamming Mysterious Abyss into Xemnas' stomach. Nick performed a rapid series of attacks with the dual keyblades before stepping back and lashing out with a spin attack, followed by an uppercut with Oathkeeper. After that assault, Nick dropped to the ground, spinning both blades in his hands before jumping straight upwards, the dual Keyblades held in an X formation. Nick struck hard with both blades, knocking Xemnas high into the air. He landed next to Irma and held out Oathkeeper. Irma nodded in understanding, reaching out and letting her hand rest on Nick's. The Oathkeeper glowed for a second as the two aimed the keyblade towards the flailing Xemnas. A bright circle of light formed around Oathkeeper before it shot a beam of energy that quickly pierced through Xemnas, stunning the leader of Organization XIII.

Taking his chance, Nick charged forward and pulled a full combo on the stunned Xemnas, thus ending the battle.

"Cursed... keyblade..."

With that, Xemnas disappeared, leaving behind only a glowing crystal. Once they'd been warped out of the arena, Nick and Irma rejoined the party and made their way to the Castle Chapel, where the other Maidens were waiting.

"It's about time you guys got here!" Hay Lin exclaimed, ever the impatient one.

"Where's Xehanort?" Nick asked, cutting right to the chase.

"He's gone," Nagisa explained. "When the keyhole opened, he just vanished."

"I STILL can't forget the look on his face when he disappeared," Dorie noted. "He was smiling, like he didn't even care what he was doing."

"I'd never seen such an incredible darkness before," Kurumi added. "Not even when Saki tried to attack me that one time."

"You've got to seal the keyhole before the darkness floods this world," Cornelia pleaded.

"It's up to you guys!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

"Right," Nick stated, twirling the Oathkeeper in his hands.

With that, the party proceeded to the Grand Hall and entered the Dark Depths. Before Nick could attempt to seal the keyhole, a loud roar caught him off guard. They turned around and faced the Behemoth.

"Another one, huh?" Nick stated. "All right, then, let's do this!"

The battle raged on for quite a while, as the Behemoth used shockwaves, lightning attacks, and charges of varying intensity, all in the hopes of bringing our heroes down.

"Where is this freak's weak point?!" Maylin shouted, putting up a Light Barrier to protect herself.

"Try finding the most sensitive thing on the Behemoth, and we should find its weakness!" Haruka shouted, just narrowly avoiding another stomp.

That's when Nick saw it: the horn on the Behemoth's head was glowing a bright blue.

"That's it!" Nick shouted, propelling himself off of Maylin's shoulders and aiming a powerful attack for the Behemoth's horn. One mighty strike was all it took for the horn to shatter, causing the Behemoth to scream in agony before crashing to the ground and evaporating.

Once the Behemoth was gone, the keyhole revealed itself. Nick quickly raised the Oathkeeper, and in a blinding flash, it was all over. Suddenly, Nick had another flash of images...

_"Hi! My name is Nanaka!"_

_The same 16-year-old violet-haired girl..._

"_I've been waiting for you..."_

_A mysterious figure with obscured weapons..._

"_I've already finished your little lackeys!"_

_A boy standing in front of a blonde girl with his keyblade out..._

"_Nice to see you, too..."_

_Reunited friends..._

"_Do not resist me, boy!"_

_Someone who looks a lot like Xehanort..._

"_I'm taking care of business!"_

_Another flash of red..._

"_It is futile. The keyblade alone cannot seal the door..."_

_A massive, ugly-looking ship..._

"_Now I am unstoppable!"_

_A bug-like figure growing in size..._

"_Did someone call for me?"_

_A silver blade, tearing through the shadow..._

"_I'm always with you..."_

Nick shook his head, trying to make sense of the images that had appeared in his head. Was someone trying to contact him?

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Next time:

Chapter 18: Sidequesting Adventures, Part 3! Let's Bring Home the Crystal Cup!

Back in Traverse Town, the prestigious Crystal Cup Tournament is about to begin. Mighty warriors from all over have arrived, and Nick and his friends will be put to the ultimate test...


	18. Sidequesting Adventures, Part 3!

It had been a long week for our heroes. After several whirlwind adventures across many of the worlds out there, Nick, Maylin, Haruka, and Irma had settled in Traverse Town to take a little vacation. They'd certainly earned it after stopping the rise of an immense dark force that would have swallowed up all of the worlds if not kept in check by the power of the keyblade.

Down in Traverse Town's Second District, Nick and Irma were resting together in the Umi no Hoshi Hotel. It had been one hell of a long journey for the two, but they'd finally been reunited.

"Say, Nick?"

"Yes, Irma?"

"I think Maylin told me about this storybook world you guys have been going to..."

Nick quickly shot out of the bed at those words. "Kei and Yumi's Storybook! Oh, damn it, I almost forgot!!"

Nick quickly rushed out of the hotel, leaving a confused Irma to catch up.

After a while of running, Nick and Irma found themselves at Merlin's Magical House, where Kei and Yumi's Storybook lay open on a nearby shelf.

"Irma, if the others wonder where I went, tell them I went shopping."

"Okay..."

With that, Nick turned to face the storybook, which began glowing with a green light before pulling Nick into it.

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(Endurance is considered a warrior's greatest asset. If he can endure, there just might not be anything he can't do.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: January 4th, 2007  
Summary: After collecting the rest of the Torn Pages, Nick heads back into Kei and Yumi's Storybook in order to finish off the Freaky Monkey Five and find Yumi's lost brother Kei.  
Author's Note: Okay, after a while, I decided to take a different tack with this 18th chapter. Yeah, I know, I know, life's been heck. I'm starting school again as well, so that sucks. But anyway, it's great that you guys have been so patient with me. It's just like I said in chapter 4: "No matter how long you guys may be forced to wait, I WILL get this story finished!" Either way, here's the long-delayed chapter 18!  
World Exploration Theme (Aunt Aki's TV Station): "Lazy Afternoons"  
Boss Battle Theme 1 (Monkey Yellow): "The Deep End"  
Boss Battle Theme 2 (Monkey Pink): "Theme of a Tragedic Revenge" from _NiGHTS into Dreams_

Disclaimer: I don't own _W.I.T.C.H._ or _Kingdom Hearts_ or any affiliated properties. They belong to Disney and Square Enix, respectively. Any video games or anime series used in this story are property of their original creators. This story copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger, December 2006 to January 2008.

Note: There's a bit of a reference to _NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams_ (which is an awesome game. GET IT. NOW) in the battle with Pink Monkey. See if you can spot it!

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Chapter 18: Sidequesting Adventures, Part 3! The Storybook's Final Chapter!

_Kei and Yumi's Storybook Chapter 3: Match With Yellow Monkey!_

A beam of green light descended onto Aunt Aki's TV Station, and Nick came out of it pretty quickly, the Oathkeeper resting on his shoulders.

"Oh, hi, Nick!" Aki stated, waving to Nick.

"_Konnichiwa,_ Aunt Aki. Is Yumi around?"

"She should be down in the shop. Her new single just came out today!"

"Oh, I didn't know she was a pop singer!"

Aunt Aki nodded. "She's actually quite popular in the singing world."

"I'd like to hear that myself," Nick stated, spinning the Oathkeeper in his left hand. "Just let us know if you see any sign of the Freaky Monkey Five, okay?"

"Got it."

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Down in the Shopping Center, Nick noticed Yumi rummaging through a case of CDs down by the Music Shop.

"Hey! Yumi!!"

The child pop star immediately spun around upon hearing her name. She gave a squeal of joy upon seeing her new friend.

"Nick!! You're all right!!"

Yumi quickly rushed up and embraced Nick.

"It's been so long!"

"I was about to say the same thing."

After a couple seconds, they separated, and Yumi rested her hands behind her head.

"How was your trip to Hollow Bastion? Did you find the girl you were looking for?" Yumi asked.

"One of them," Nick replied with a sigh. The fact that Will was still lost in the world of darkness was weighing quite heavily on his mind.

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"_Whoa..._" Yumi exclaimed upon hearing Nick's story. She had been listening for a full twenty-five minutes, gasping in just about all the right places.

"I'm still worried about Will," Nick stated, the Oathkeeper resting on his shoulders. "If only she'd let me know she's all right..."

"I'm sure she's fine, Nick," Yumi responded. "You and Irma have done so much for the other worlds out there..."

However, before Yumi could get another word in, Aunt Aki rushed into the Shopping Center.

"What's up, Aunt Aki?" Nick quickly asked.

"I've detected another of the Freaky Monkey Five! Head to the Warp Station, quickly!" Aunt Aki exclaimed.

Nick nodded, brandishing the Oathkeeper.

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Once Nick and Yumi appeared again, they were at the top of a mountain. What was odd was that the plateau was decorated like a Japanese house.

Just then, before they could get their bearings, the Yellow Monkey dropped down in front of them.

"Okay, if that's not weird, then I don't know what is," Nick stated, holding the Oathkeeper out in a fighting stance.

"You'd best not insult me, kiddies," Yellow Monkey shot back. "I am a master of ninjutsu!"

"I don't care if you're the master of the Dhali Lama! I've been through enough this week!!" Nick shouted. "And I'm not going to let a fat idiot like you stop me from fulfilling my destiny!!"

Not wasting a second, Nick held the Oathkeeper into the air, the mystical blade glowing with otherworldly power.

"_Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!!"_

With that call, Nick transformed into Limit Form, the Kingdom Key held proudly.

Yellow Monkey didn't take too lightly to this, and began throwing numerous shuriken stars for Nick and Yumi.

"_Transform!! Miracle Ninja!!"_

With a call of her own, Yumi transformed into a new persona, this one complete with a cute ninja uniform. Her Stun Club had also turned into a katana.

Limit Form Nick quickly turned his attention to the shuriken that Yellow Monkey was throwing. He swiftly swung the Kingdom Key and deflected each one that came his way. Miracle Ninja Yumi was doing the same thing with her Stun Club.

After a while of this, Yellow Monkey hopped onto the high walls of the arena and began running along them like a madman.

"Hey, get down here, fat boy!! _Strike Raid!!_" Limit Form Nick exclaimed, tossing his keyblade for the sprinting Yellow Monkey. One strike knocked Yellow Monkey off of the wall, but the spinning Kingdom Key kept coming back and pinballing Yellow Monkey around in the air.

"Yumi!! He's coming down!!" Nick exclaimed to Yumi, who had already readied her Monkey Net, just waiting for Yellow Monkey to come within range.

However, as Yumi swung, Yellow Monkey recovered and leapt away.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Yumi exclaimed, swinging her Stun Club in frustration.

Nick charged for Yellow Monkey, hoping to buy some time so Yumi could capture the rogue monkey. Before Yellow Monkey could unleash his deadliest attack, Nick slammed his keyblade into the ground, creating a field of electricity that stunned Yellow Monkey upon impact.

"Okay, Yumi, he's all yours!" Nick exclaimed. Nothing more needed to be said as Yumi charged forward. One swift swing, and Yellow Monkey was caught.

Once the chaos was clear, and the transmitter had fallen to pieces, Nick swiftly reverted out of Limit Form. It was then that he noticed Yumi's new outfit.

"Cute ninja outfit," Nick stated out of nowhere, which caused Yumi to blush.

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_Kei and Yumi's Storybook Chapter 4: The Debut of Pink Monkey_

Nick and Yumi's next stop was around the base of a clock tower that seemed to reach to the very height of the skies.

"Wow... that thing's so tall..." Yumi couldn't help but state, mesmerized by how beautiful the city looked at this time of night.

"I wonder where Pink Monkey is?" Nick stated, cutting right to the point.

"I'm right here, sugar!"

Nick looked into the sky and saw Pink Monkey floating near the giant tower's clock.

"I don't care how strong you are! You won't stop my Bellbridge debut!!" Pink Monkey exclaimed.

"Does it look like I care, little lady?" Nick shot back, brandishing the Oathkeeper and casting an Aero spell on himself and Yumi.

"Come on, Yumi, let's get her!" Nick exclaimed. Yumi nodded, and together, the two flew up to where Pink Monkey was waiting.

Pink Monkey immediately tried to knock the airborne heroes out of the sky with a dark energy burst, but Nick and Yumi easily dodged it. This got Pink Monkey pretty pissed off.

"Why are you two such music haters?!" Pink Monkey exclaimed.

"It's not that, missy... it's because you're evil!" Nick shot back, delivering a few combos, ending with a powerful horizontal swing that sent Pink Monkey crashing hard into the clock face.

The instant Pink Monkey recovered, she was hit by a powerful burst of ice energy. She barely turned around before being pelted with another ice burst. She focused her vision and noticed that Nick was firing burst after burst of Blizzard magic at her.

"Why won't she go down?!" Nick exclaimed, still firing multiple bursts of magic towards Pink Monkey.

That seemed to be all that Pink Monkey could take, as she was suddenly enveloped in a fierce electric bubble.

"What the heck is she doing?" Nick exclaimed. Yumi didn't seem to be too happy about the situation.

Just then, as Pink Monkey finished powering up, Nick and Yumi could hear a VERY loud scream coming from the very top of the clock tower.

"Sis? Is that you? GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!!!"

Yumi let out a gasp of shock. "That's Kei!!"

Nick looked upwards; Kei, a boy of about 13 with spiky blue hair and a baseball shirt, was tied to the pole that served as the tip of the tower.

"Yumi, you go get your brother!" Nick instructed. "I'll handle this pop diva wannabe!"

Yumi nodded and flew up to the top of the clock tower as Nick faced down Pink Monkey.

"You will pay for brushing off my music!!" Pink Monkey exclaimed in a more sinister voice.

"If you can even _call_ that singing," Nick taunted. That seemed to be it for Pink Monkey, who screamed and charged for Nick. The keyblade wielder, however, simply vaulted over Pink Monkey and struck her in the back with the Oathkeeper.

Pink Monkey charged again, only to be met smack in the face with a horizontal strike. This only served to enrage her further.

"Just give it up, you wannabe! There's no way you're going to win!" Nick exclaimed as Pink Monkey began charging up the dark powers that Specter had gifted her with.

Nick took this time to summon Fatal Crest into his free hand, both keyblades at the ready.

Back at the clock tower, Yumi had finally finished untying Kei and was airlifting him to a safe spot on the tower.

"Took you long enough to get here, sis!" Kei exclaimed.

"I got a bit sidetracked by the Freaky Monkey Five on the way," Yumi admitted.

Back to the battle, Pink Monkey suddenly emitted a dark aura and charged for Nick, who had both keyblades in a duel stance, just ready to strike.

"Nick!! Look out!!" Yumi exclaimed. Nick simply waved to Yumi, signifying that he was ready.

The tension was incredibly thick as Pink Monkey drew closer.

At just about the last possible second, Nick ripped forwards, striking with both of his keyblades. Everything seemed to stand still for a few seconds.

After a bit, Pink Monkey's helmet shattered, leaving her to fall. Yumi swiftly flew towards Pink Monkey and caught her in the Monkey Net.

"Oh, am I glad I found you, Kei!" Yumi exclaimed.

However, before Kei could reply, a massive portal of darkness opened near the clock tower. Nick instantly recognized this kind of energy.

As the mass of darkness settled, a familiar figure came floating out of it. Nick didn't have to take three guesses to figure out who it was.

"Xehanort!!" Nick exclaimed.

"Good guess, you keyblade-swinging brat," Xehanort replied with a sneer.

"Who IS that?" Yumi asked in bewilderment.

Xehanort just floated there, looking menacing.

"All right, Xehanort, I'm getting real sick of you by now!!" Nick exclaimed, brandishing the Oathkeeper. "How about you and I finish this once and for all?"

Xehanort flashed a vicious grin. "I'd like that, kid. But not here. If you wish to face me, you can meet me at the oasis where all worlds end. I'll be waiting..."

And with that, Xehanort disappeared.

Finally, Yumi found the nerve to say something.

"Who... who _was_ that?" she asked.

"_That_ was Xehanort," Nick replied quite simply. "He's the one who tried to turn Will against me and my friends. If we don't stop him, the worlds will never be at peace."

"I guess that means you have to go?" Yumi asked.

"For now," Nick stated. "I'll be sure to come back once Xehanort's done for," Nick replied.

Suddenly, Kei noticed something that had just appeared on the clock face.

Nick noticed it, too; a giant keyhole had just appeared on the clock face. Not wasting any time, Nick raised the Oathkeeper and focused. The mystical blade fired a beam of light that blasted into the keyhole, sealing Kei and Yumi's Storybook from the Heartless.

"I've got to go tell the others that Xehanort's waiting for us," Nick stated, holding the Oathkeeper into the air.

"Please be safe out there, okay, Nick?" Yumi asked.

"Don't worry, Yumi. I will," Nick replied before disappearing in a flash of light.

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Irma, Haruka, Maylin, and Mina had been waiting for over a half-hour by the storybook, just waiting for Nick to return.

"What's TAKING him so long?" Maylin exclaimed, ever the impatient one.

"We REALLY have to work on that patience problem of yours, Maylin," Irma stated. "I'm sure he's doing all right..."

No sooner had Irma said that than the book shined with a green light, and Nick popped out of it, the Oathkeeper at his side.

"Girls! I think I may know where Xehanort is hiding!" Nick quickly exclaimed. This made the others shoot to their feet, their respective keyblades materializing.

"He told me to meet him at the 'oasis where all worlds end'. I'll just bet that's where Will is, too!" Nick continued. "That means we need to get moving! NOW!!!"

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Author's Note: Again, I'm REALLY sorry if I made you guys wait.

Next time:

Chapter 19: Xehanort Revealed! Tragedy Strikes at the World's End!

Nick and the girls head to the World's End in hopes of putting an end to Xehanort once and for all. However, the former Dark Chaser has expected their presence, and has put together a host of new threats. But the return of an old friend may even things out...


	19. Tragedy Strikes at the World's End!

World's End.

It's a twisted conglomeration of the many worlds taken by the Heartless and Nobodies, but with an impressive castle similar to the one in the World That Never Was. Many lethal dark forces are at work here...

As Nick and the girls hop out of the dimensional portal, they notice that the landscape before them is pretty much nothing more than a dark abyss.

"Whoa! This must be the remains of the worlds that were taken by the Heartless!" Maylin exclaimed in amazement.

"Those worlds will be restored if we beat Xehanort, right?" Nick wondered, holding the Oathkeeper at his side.

"I hope so," Haruka stated.

"But if we do beat him and all these worlds become restored and disconnected, what's gonna happen to this place? And to us?" Nick asked.

"Gee, I really haven't thought about that..." Haruka noted, scratching her head.

"Maybe this is just a Heartless world," Haruka said, "so it should disappear if we stop Xehanort."

This caused Nick to frown a little. Irma was the first to notice this.

"It's okay, Nick," Irma states. "Even if this place disappears, our hearts aren't going anywhere. Remember the promise we made the Guardians? We'd always be best friends, no matter what happens."

"Yeah, you're right," Nick replied while looking at the lucky charm that Irma had given him.

"I'll return this. I promise," Nick whispered to himself.

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(When you want to live a life full of adventure, do it while you can. Do it right away. It's the only way to live a life without regrets.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: January 7th, 2008  
Summary: Nick and the girls head to the World's End in hopes of putting an end to Xehanort once and for all. However, the former Dark Chaser has expected their presence, and has put together a host of new threats. But the return of an old friend may even things out...  
World Exploration Theme: "Sacred Moon"  
World Battle Theme: "Deep Drive"  
Boss Battle Theme (Xehanort): "The Deep End"

Disclaimer: I don't own _W.I.T.C.H._ or _Kingdom Hearts_ or any affiliated properties. They belong to Disney and Square Enix, respectively. Any video games or anime series used in this story are property of their original creators. This story copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger, December 2006 to January 2008.

Author's Note: There's going to be a bit of shoujo-ai (girl love) in this chapter, due to an idea given to me by LordofDarkness2099.

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Chapter 19: Xehanort Revealed! Tragedy Strikes at the World's End!

As Nick and the girls made their way through World's End, slaughtering many Heartless and Nobodies along the way, they eventually ran into someone very familiar.

"WILL!!" Irma cried out.

Indeed, Will was laying there, seemingly out cold and in her street clothes. In her hand was what appeared to be Riku's Way to the Dawn keyblade. In her other hand was a keyblade that none of them had ever seen before. It was an incredibly elegant keyblade that seemed to radiate with the powers of both light _and_ darkness. The keyblade was decorated with many rare and special jewels, and the tip was the head of a shining golden eagle. The word _Redemption_ ran through everyone's head.

Just then, Will slowly stirred, shaking dirt out of her shining ruby hair.

"Will! Oh, my god! What happened?!" Irma exclaimed, concerned for her friend.

"Irma, do you think it's safe to be around her?" Maylin asked, taking caution.

"It's okay, Maylin," Nick replied. "I'm not sensing Xehanort's possession anymore."

Will shook her head, still clouded with pain.

"Will, honey, how'd you get here?" Irma asked.

"Ugh... Xehanort tried to possess me again, but I fought back, and he knocked me out. I never thought I'd see you guys again..." Will explained, throwing her arms around Irma.

"Irma... you were one of the few who believed in me, even when I was possessed by Xehanort... you never gave up on me... thank you so much..." Will stated, lightly pecking Irma on the cheek.

Irma blushed like mad at this. "Anything for a friend, Will..."

"I don't think it's just about friendship anymore..." Will explained, balancing herself on Way to the Dawn. "Irma, I guess you could say I've fallen for both you and Nick..."

Nick was surprised at this little revelation. "Any particular reason, Will?"

Will walked up to Nick as she said her piece. "Remember when Xehanort first possessed me? You didn't care about what happened to yourself as long as you were able to save me from the darkness. When we fought each other at Hollow Bastion, you never gave up on your goals. That was one of the things I've always admired about you, Nick... You never give up or back down from what you believe is right, no matter how bleak the situation may be..."

Will leaned forward and kissed Nick.

"Thank you, you two... thank you for never giving up on me..."

Nick smiled. "Of course, Will. There's no way I'd give up on my friends."

Together, the party continued their trek through the World's End, only to be ambushed by a mysterious creature on their way to the top of the enormous castle.

Nick quickly raised the Oathkeeper towards the mysterious creature. "What IS that thing?"

Irma tightened her grip on Mysterious Abyss. "I don't think it's a Heartless..."

Will quickly brought Redemption into a fighting stance alongside Way to the Dawn. "Xehanort must have created it!"

Nick looked up towards the massive shadow creature. It clearly wasn't going to let them through without a fight.

However, before Nick or Irma could move forward...

"You little shadow freaks have done ENOUGH damage to our world," Will stated, anger rising in her voice. "And I've had just about all I can stand of it!!"

Will let out a roar and charged forward, fiercely swinging her dual keyblades all the while.

The shadow creature didn't have a chance to even swing its arm as Will tore her keyblades into the flesh of the shadow monster, not letting up for even a second.

Once Will was done, the shadow was gone. Both Nick and Irma stared wide-eyed at how quickly Will had slaughtered the shadow creature.

"Hey, I told you two myself. Xehanort is going to pay for what he's done," Will responded, her ruby hair shining under the dark light of the World's End.

"Truer words have never been spoken, Will," was Irma's simple reply.

"Let's keep going," Nick stated, slinging the Oathkeeper on his shoulder. "Xehanort's waiting for us."

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As the gang proceeded through the World's End, they encountered many of the mysterious shadow creatures from before, but they were all quickly slaughtered by Will, who was showing no mercy to the Heartless.

After too long, Nick and the girls encountered a mysterious door.

"Where do you think this door leads?" Will wondered.

Suddenly, Nick heard a voice enter his head.

"Hey, what was that?" Nick wondered.

"What's what?" Irma asked.

"There's a voice coming from somewhere," Will noted, "but it seems like only Nick and I can hear it..."

Maylin looked a little skeptical, while Haruka just looked confused.

"Wait! There it is again!" Will exclaimed.

_Careful. This is the last haven you'll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect you. But don't be afraid. Your heart is the mightiest weapon of all. Remember, you are the one who will open the door to the light._

"We'd best be careful from here on, girls," Nick stated. "I have a feeling that Xehanort's going to be waiting beyond this door. So, are you all ready?"

Maylin smiled. "Do you even have to ask, Nick?"

Haruka smiled as well. "We're with you until the very end!"

Will and Irma simply nodded.

With the okay from his comrades, Nick walked up to the door and opened it.

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On the other side was what appeared to be Heatherfield, only it was in ruins.

"Kinda like what happened when Will betrayed us the first time," Maylin noticed.

Just then, areas of the pseudo-Heatherfield began to shift into something more sinister.

_This world has been connected._

A building nearby collapsed as the mysterious voice continued.

_Tied to the darkness._

"Who said that?!" Maylin challenged.

_Soon to be completely eclipsed._

The area was starting to look like a dark ocean now.

"Is this Xehanort's doing?" Will wondered.

_There is so very much to learn... you understand nothing._

Nick quickly readied the Oathkeeper, tensing up for whatever Xehanort might try.

_A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing._

Just then, Nick noticed that Mina was standing by the edge of the dark ocean, staring out into the endless abyss. Whenever she spoke, though, Xehanort was speaking instead.

"Take a look at this tiny place," 'Mina' explained. "To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison... surrounded by water. And so this girl sought out to escape from her prison. She sought a way to cross over into other worlds... worlds beyond our simple galaxy... and she opened her heart to the darkness."

Just then, as she turned to face the group, 'Mina' disappeared, and Xehanort stood where Mina once did.

"Mina!!" Nick exclaimed, reaching his hand out for his comrade.

"Don't even bother," Xehanort sneered. "Your voice can no longer reach her where she is. Her heart belongs again to darkness."

Xehanort began floating into the air.

"All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, grows, consumes it. Such is its nature. In the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came. For you see, darkness is the heart's true essence."

"That's not true!!" Nick and Will shouted at the same time.

"Though it's true that heart may be weak... and sometimes, it may even give in..." Will proclaimed.

"What we've learned is that deep inside, there's a light that never goes out!!" Nick finished for his best friend.

Xehanort simply laughed mockingly as his shadow guardian appeared behind him.

"So, you have come all this way, and still you understand nothing," Xehanort sneered. "Don't you fools get it? Every light must fade. Every hope must be extinguished. Every heart must return to darkness!!"

Not wasting any more time, Xehanort charged for the party, encased in a dark aura of sorts. Nick quickly transformed into Limit Form and rapidly performed Sonic Blade attacks, countering Xehanort on every pass.

Once the barrage was over, Xehanort turned his attention to Will.

"Why don't you join me again, my dear? I still have the power you so desperately seek..." Xehanort stated menacingly.

Will threw her arms around Nick and pulled him close.

"Fat chance, Xehanort!" Will exclaimed. "I don't seek darkness anymore... I told you, I'm DONE making mistakes like that!!"

"You are now a being of the darkness, pure and simple," Xehanort noted.

"I don't care about that anymore!" Will continued. "Nick was the one who taught me that darkness doesn't have to be a bad thing! If I ever get lost in the light, _my_ darkness will show me the way!"

Will took a step back, brandishing Way to the Dawn and Redemption.

"_Darkness, awaken!!"_

With that call, Will transformed into her dark form, ready for battle.

"So, you still wanna take back that stupid statement of yours, Xehanort?" Will challenged.

"Such bold words, dark one," Xehanort responded. He charged again, only to be met with a rather painful slash from Way to the Dawn.

Will hopped back and slashed Xehanort across the side with Redemption before vaulting over him and striking him in the back with Way to the Dawn.

"Ugh... you are better than I expected," Xehanort stated, stumbling forward. Will, however, was on him in a flash, delivering rapid and merciless combos and not giving Xehanort any chance to retaliate.

Nick and the others were surprised by how bold Will had gotten.

Intent on finishing the fight, Will took a step back, then charged forward, striking so fast that no one ever saw it coming. Xehanort fell to the ground, severely wounded thanks to Will's powerful attack.

Xehanort had no choice but to retreat through a portal of darkness.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Will taunted before reverting to her original form.

"Hold on, girls. Once we go through that portal, there's no turning back," Nick stated. "We have to defeat Xehanort before he can cause any more trouble. Who's with me?"

Everyone simply nodded, silently saying that they'd all stay by Nick's side until the very end.

"All right. Let's go," Nick replied as he walked into the portal, his friends following.

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Next time:

Final Chapter: One Step Closer to Destiny! Let the Final Battle Begin!

Nick and the girls head into the realm of darkness for the final battle with Xehanort. Loyalties will be tested in this epic battle. Will they be able to survive and destroy Xehanort once and for all?


	20. One Step Closer to Destiny!

Nick Kelly and his friends Maylin Rae, Haruka Rose, Mina Vandom, and Irma Lair have been through many an incredible adventure in the past few months. Here's a recap, in case you just joined the story:

In the year after the climax of the Keyblade Wars, things had been peaceful in the suburbian city of Heatherfield. However, when the leader of W.I.T.C.H. had fabricated a dark desire to regain possession of her mystical keyblade, things had gone from bad to worse.

This dark desire attracted the attention of the Heartless, evil beings created when a person's heart falls to the darkness. When Heatherfield's heart was taken, Nick was the only survivor, winding up in the mysterious Traverse Town. After a while of exploring, he met up with Maylin Rae and Haruka Rose, two girls who had been appointed by the Oracle of Candracar himself in order to protect the worlds from the threat of the Heartless.

Nick had teamed up with Maylin and Haruka in order to find his best friend Will and girlfriend Irma, who had both been lost to the darkness upon Will's betrayal.

Nick and his friends (and eventually Mina, Will's astral twin) had journeyed through many worlds and settings in hopes of finding their lost friends, even going so far as to head into the past to stop a familiar villain from overrunning the future with evil.

After much searching, the party found themselves at the epicenter of the darkness: Hollow Bastion. Many hard battles were fought here, especially against the perpetrator of nearly this entire scheme: Lord Diablos, a twisted soul who sought to collect the seven Maidens of Purity in hopes of opening the way to Kingdom Hearts. In the end, Nick and company easily defeated him.

When Nick entered into a battle with Will, it was revealed that she had been possessed by Xehanort, who had apparently survived his defeat during the Keyblade Wars. In the end, Nick turned the Dark Keyblade on himself to free Irma's heart, which had been inside of him all along.

Now, with nothing left to lose, Nick and his friends have entered the very darkness itself for the final battle. Will they be able to stop Xehanort and save the worlds?

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(A hero races through the green fields. The sun races through a blue sky filled with white clouds. The ways of his heart are much like the sun. A hero runs and rests; the sun rises and sets. Don't give up on the sun. Don't make the sun laugh at you.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart  
_This Chapter: January 7th, 2008  
Summary: Nick and the girls head into the realm of darkness for the final battle with Xehanort. Loyalties will be tested in this epic battle. Will they be able to survive and destroy Xehanort once and for all?  
Final Battle Theme (Xehanort): "D-Force Master" from _NiGHTS into Dreams  
_Epilogue Song: "Distance" by Nami Tamaki

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I don't, in any way or form, own _W.I.T.C.H._ or _Kingdom Hearts_ or any affiliated properties. They belong to Disney and Square Enix, respectively. Any video games or anime series used in this story are property of their original creators. This story copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger, December 2006 to January 2008.

Author's Note: Well, here it is! The long (and I mean _long_)-awaited final battle!

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Final Chapter: One Step Closer to Destiny! Let the Final Battle Begin!

This mysterious realm seemed to radiate a mysterious power that didn't seem familiar to anyone.

Nick looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Xehanort before he could gain the advantage.

Just then, Nick saw his target: a massive monster with six clawed arms, four spheres of darkness floating behind him, and a long cape with the Heartless symbol emblazoned on it.

"Xehanort's different somehow..." Maylin noticed.

"He must be drawing on the power of the realm of darkness!" Haruka noted.

Will held out both of her keyblades, drawing on the same power.

"Well, if he can do that, so can I!" Will exclaimed, focusing her newfound dark powers.

"Will, don't!! I don't want you to become possessed by the darkness again!!" Irma pleaded, only to be stopped by Nick.

"It's okay, Irma," Nick reassured. "Will's learned how to control the good side of the power of darkness. I trust her."

Irma nodded, trusting in her own boyfriend.

Will began glowing with an energy aura that seemed to _blend_ the powers of light and dark together.

"Now, Xehanort! It's time to show you what the TRUE power of darkness can do!!"

A massive flash of light erupted from Will at these very words. When it clears, Will has grown two bright wings, one white and one black. Her keyblades have also attained a bright sheen that seemed to hurt Xehanort somehow.

"What's the matter, Xehanort? You afraid of the light?" Will mocked before charging for Xehanort, only to be knocked back by a barrier that Xehanort had put up around himself.

"Oh, please, Xehanort, is that the best you've got?" Will taunted, slashing at the barrier with her supercharged keyblades until it went down.

"All right, Nick! He's all yours!" Will exclaimed. Nick nodded and charged forward, taking advantage of the moment of distraction to slash at Xehanort's form, causing him to back off, screaming in pain. Nick also noticed that one of the dark orbs behind Xehanort had disappeared.

"Foolish brats!!" Xehanort exclaimed in a twisted, distorted voice. "There is no way you can hope to win!!"

"Guess we're going to have to go all the way here," Nick stated, hoping that the others would get the message.

Fortunately, they all knew what Nick was getting at. Nick swiftly pulled out his Drive orb, which made Maylin, Haruka, and Irma glow a bright silver.

"Light, GIVE ME STRENGTH!!!" 

With that call, the three glowing party members disappeared and Nick threw his arms out, silver light bursting from him.

When the light cleared, Nick's Drive form clothes had turned from black to lustrous silver, and four keyblades were floating behind his back: Oathkeeper, Fatal Crest, Mysterious Abyss, and Light of Meridian.

"So you can transform. That doesn't mean you're going to win!!" Xehanort exclaimed.

"You may want to take that back, Xehanort," Will taunted. "I've become accustomed to the TRUE power of darkness, so there's no way you're going to stand a chance!"

Will motioned to Nick, who nodded in response and floated over to Will, joining hands with her. The two began glowing with an immense energy aura.

"We call upon the spirits of the Ancient Guardians..." Will chanted.

"...to eradicate this being of the darkness!!" Nick continued.

Responding to Nick and Will's command, a magical glyph appeared around them.

"What is this power I'm feeling?" Xehanort's voice quivered.

"Didn't I just tell you, Xehanort?" Will stated, her eyes flashing a bright silver. "This is the TRUE power of darkness! This is what it can be when it's used for good! Not that YOU'D understand that..."

The energy aura around Nick and Will became even more intense, actually causing Xehanort to back off.

"Now, Xehanort!!" Nick exclaimed with a little _too_ much enthusiasm. "Now you shall see the true power of darkness!!"

As soon as Nick said that, a massive, blinding beam of black-and-white light burst from Nick and Will, thundering forward and enveloping Xehanort in its holy light.

"NOOOOOOOO!!! I WILL... WILL NOT BE DENIED!!!" Xehanort exclaimed as he was ripped apart by the immense blast.

"Well, guess what? You just were," Nick taunted as the beam of light completed its course.

Once everything had settled down, Nick reverted out of his form. The others stared on, wondering if they'd really done it this time.

"Is... is Xehanort gone for good this time?" Maylin asked.

"I think so," Will replied. "I can't sense his dark aura anymore. I really think he's gone for good this time."

"FINALLY!!!" Maylin exclaimed. "Took him long enough to go down!!"

Will looked confused. "What's her problem?"

"Don't worry about that," Nick replied. "Maylin's always had a patience problem..."

Will couldn't help but giggle; something she hadn't done for a long time. "I see..."

"Okay, guys, let's head home," Haruka stated, heading for the newly-opened portal that led back to the restored Heatherfield.

Nick followed his comrades, only to notice that Will hadn't followed them.

"Aren't you coming, Will?" Nick asked.

Will's smile quickly faded.

"Nick... I can't come back."

This surprised Nick. "What do you mean, Will?"

"Don't you see, Nick?! I _can't_ go back like this! What will the other Guardians think of me?! What would the Oracle think about what I've done?!"

Nick walked up and let his hands rest on Will's shoulders.

"That doesn't matter, Will. We all know that Xehanort had possessed you. It's not your fault," Nick reassured.

"But... I can't face them like this... not until the darkness is gone for good..." Will stated. "I guess I have to walk my own path in order to completely free myself from Xehanort's influence..."

Nick stared into Will's brown eyes. "Am I ever going to see you again, Will?"

Will stared back at her newfound love. "Someday, Nick. Someday. I just have to make sure that I'm freed from Xehanort's influence before I can return to you guys..."

Will let out a sigh of longing. "There were times when... when I wished I could just live my life the way you do, Nick... just following my heart..."

Will looked at Nick one last time, gently kissing him. "When you see Irma again, tell her I love her, okay?"

Nick gave a thumbs up. "Will do."

"Oh, and Nick?"

Nick turned around one more time.

"Take care of her."

Nick nodded before walking into the portal, which subsequently closed, leaving Will in the world of darkness.

The Keeper of the Heart looked up into the sky.

So, your path is set, then? 

Will almost went into battle stance upon hearing that voice, but settled down when she recognized it as the voice that had guided her through this world the first time.

"Yeah. My mind's made up. I know it's tough, but I'd rather purge Xehanort's influence on me before I return to my friends."

_Good for you, Will. You have made a very mature choice._

"That's what Nick always said about me."

_Remember, Will... how you perceive your friends is dependent on your own heart._

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As Nick stared down the pathways of the Crossroads, his comrades looked at him as if expecting an answer.

"Are you sure about this, Nick?" Haruka asked.

"Do you really need to do this?" Maylin asked.

_Hanarete yuku chikaduiteku  
__Deai to wakare no story  
__Hikarete yuku chigirete yuku  
__Koto no imi mo shitta..._

Nick could only nod in acceptance. "Once we took care of Xehanort for the last time, I promised Will that I'd take care of her and Irma. And you girls know it isn't in me to go back on my promises. I could never do that to them."

Nick held up his glowing keyblade. "And I promised Irma that I'd return her lucky charm. So, I have quite a few promises to fulfill."

_Susunde yuku megutte kuru  
__Shunkan de kimaru sympathy  
__Basho ya jikan wo koe  
__Ikitsuita keshiki ga  
__Anata deshita... tadoritsuita..._

"Okay, Nick. We respect your wishes. Go ahead and find your friends," Haruka stated. "Just be sure to talk to us every now and then, okay? We're going to miss you."

Nick could only give a thumbs up to the brunette.

Just then, Maylin walked up to Nick, an expectant look on her face. "You'd better come back safely, buddy, or else I'm coming after you!"

This earned a little laugh from Nick. Then, completely out of the blue, Maylin broke down crying and rushed into Nick's arms, who gladly returned the embrace.

"It's okay, Maylin. I promise I'll see you two again," Nick reassured before separating from Maylin and giving a final wave to his loyal comrades.

With everything said that needed to be said, Nick raised the Oathkeeper and charged down the path of Dawn, ready to begin the search for his lost friends.

"Good luck, Nick," Haruka stated, holding her hands to her heart. "I just know you'll find them."

_Oboete masu ka?  
__Onaji kao shite futari sorotte tameiki de  
__Sukoshi no aida mitsumeatte hohoende ita_

At the Alfea School of Magic, it's graduation day for the seniors. Among these proud graduates are the Winx Club themselves: Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, and Tecna. The audience applause is rapturous as the school proctor begins to give his speech, though we can't hear it. The Winx Club bows respectfully to the other students.

_Kisetsu ga kawari  
__Futari no kage ga hitotsu ni kasanariatteta  
__Shiawase nante kodoku no hate ni miru kioku de_

Back at Port Mystic Elementary School, Dorie, Reanne, and Mirabelle are sitting in their class, listening intently as Miss Cooper introduces their newest student, Ellie Craft. Many of the boys in the class are absolutely lovestruck at the mere sight of Ellie.

_Wakatte ita deshou  
__Eien no ibasho  
__Kako ni aru  
__Dakara koso utsukushii no_

In Taisho Era Japan, the Hanabi Matsuri has begun, and the fireworks are already in full force. Kurumi and Nakahito are seated at the edge of the beach, where all the action is taking place. Kurumi wraps her arms around Nakahito and snuggles close to him. Nakahito responds by pulling Kurumi close to him, much to her delight.

_Hanarete yuku chikaduiteku  
__Deai to wakare no story  
__Hikarete yuku chigirete yuku  
__Koto no imi mo shitta..._

As Proto Merkabah breaks up and disintegrates in the atmosphere of Second Miltia, the freighter ship _Elsa_ flies safely away with Shion and her party on board. As the Elsa flies through space, Shion gazes out the window and towards the endless collection of stars, wondering what her next adventure will be.

_Susunde yuku megutte kuru  
__Shunkan de kimaru sympathy  
__Basho ya jikan wo koe  
__Ikitsuita keshiki ga  
__Anata deshita... tadoritsuita..._

Back at Mizar's Palace, Juno and Vela, along with other Jet Force Gemini agents, are performing one last sweep of the area where Mizar used to rule, hoping to find out where the bug prince has escaped to. Suddenly, Vela points to a shooting star in the nearby airspace. She and Juno activate their jet boots and give chase after the star.

_Kikoete masu ka? Osanai koro no  
__Yume wo katariatta ano hi  
__Tomadoi da toka  
__Nani mo kowakunattan da ne_

In Timeless River, young Elyon can be seen kicking back and relaxing on her older brother's steamboat as it rolls along the Meridian Wharf. Elyon looks up at the site of the future Meridian Castle, which is being built slowly but surely.

_Kanjite ita deshou  
__Yowai kyou no jibun  
__Mamoru koto dake jouzu ni natte ita_

In Verone Academy, Nagisa can be seen writing notes down in her notebook, only to get very frustrated. Just then, Honoka passes her some notes, and Nagisa smiles brightly, just barely avoiding the watching gaze of Yoshimi-sensei.

_Erande yuku sutesatteku  
__Hakanasa to namida no mystery  
__Oboete yuku  
__Wasurete yuku koto de asu he tsuduku..._

In Hollow Bastion, Leon, Yuffie, Cloud, and Aerith can be seen overlooking their city from the edge of the castle, taking in the sights of their once proud home. Just then, Cloud notices something in the distance, rises into the air, and takes off. Yuffie moves forward, but Aerith stops her, signaling that Cloud will be okay on his own.

_Kagayaiteku iro aseteku  
__Kurikaesareteku symphony  
__Basho ya jikan wo koe  
__Ikitsuita kotae ga  
__Ikinuku koto... shinjiru koto..._

At Aunt Aki's TV Station, Yumi can be seen sitting by the Warp Gate, waiting for a signal on the location of Specter. As if on cue, Kei and Aunt Aki rush in. Yumi nods, and steps on the button to the Warp Gate. Before jumping into the Warp Gate, Yumi looks into the sky and mouths the words 'Thank you, Nick' before jumping into the portal.

Back in Heatherfield, Irma can be seen walking by Nick's house, which is currently empty. Irma begins to wonder if Nick's all right. Quickly shaking off the thought, Irma smiles, knowing that her boyfriend is all right.

_Hanarete yuku chikaduiteku  
__Deai to wakare no story  
__Hikarete yuku chigirete yuku  
__Koto no imi mo shitta..._

Nick takes a look down the winding paths of the Crossroads, searching each path for the road that would lead him to his friends. Noticing a large and familiar castle in the distance, Nick smiles before raising the Oathkeeper and racing down the path.

_Susunde yuku megutte kuru  
__Shunkan de kimaru sympathy  
__Basho ya jikan wo koe  
__Ikitsuita keshiki ga  
__Anata deshita... tadoritsuita..._

Nick takes notice of the familiarity of the castle that is slowly becoming less blurry. Nick takes a good long look at his keyblade. Nick then pulls out Irma's lucky charm, remembering the promise he'd made.

_Ikinuku koto... shinjiru koto..._

Nick took one last longing look at the winding pathways before him.

"I guess that as long as I wield the keyblade, these adventures will never end..."

Nick looks into the dark sky, then smiles.

"...but I wouldn't have it any other way."

That said, Nick raises his keyblade once more and charges down the winding pathways, unsure of where the next path will lead him, but eagerly awaiting the journey.

_Key to Her Heart: fin_

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Author's Note: At long freaking last, I can deem this series complete!

That doesn't mean this is the end of Nick and his friends' adventures, though! Coming soon is _W.I.T.C.H.: Keys of Memory_, where Nick comes upon Castle Oblivion while on his search for Will and goes through much of the stuff Sora went through during _his_ stay. The story after that one is _W.I.T.C.H.: In World's End_, which is actually set a long time into the past, and details just how Maylin and Haruka became the Guardians of Candracar, and the adventures they went through back then.

See you later! And accept no substitutes!

Sayonara,  
S.P.D. Gold Ranger

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_W.I.T.C.H.: In World's End_ _Trailer: "A Sealed Secret"_

The following subtitles can be seen appearing on the screen.

_A sealed tale of truth..._

_What really happened long ago..._

We can see Maylin standing on the edge of a plateau, her keyblade resting on her shoulders. We can see her mouthing some words, but we can't hear her speaking.

"It... has happened..."

We now see Haruka slowly walking down the hallways of the Auramere chambers, keyblade behind her. Suddenly, Haruka stops and swiftly turns around, as if someone is watching her.

Haruka tenses up, and then leaps out of the way of a massive beam of black energy. More subtitles appear on screen.

"I thought it was you..."

"But... why?"

"I won't lose to you!!"

Switch to a faraway view of a heart-shaped moon above a plateau similar to the one Maylin was standing on in the beginning. A man in a black suit of armor can be seen walking across the screen. More subtitles appear, but these flash by extremely quickly:

"I have found the door!"

"Without the balance, all shall cease to exist..."

"The Circle of Power has been formed..."

"I shall not fail you, my liege..."

"Destroy them and take the key of legends!"

Crush 40's "Live and Learn" begins to play. We zoom in on the field of keyblades seen in "The Gathering" and "Birth by Sleep". One of the keyblades, which is very similar to Maylin's Chinese Spirit, wrenches itself from the ground and goes flying towards the heart-shaped moon in the sky.

A mysterious bald man with a white lab coat captures the flying keyblade, only to cover it in a dark aura which eventually blocks out the whole screen.

Fade in to a close-up of the Palace of Candracar, which is in ruins.

"We need a savior..."

Another shot of Haruka, only she's wearing an outfit similar to Sora's in _Kingdom Hearts II._ Close up of Haruka's face. We can see her mouthing the words "Hold on to what if..."

Maylin walks by, and she and Haruka cross by each other in an X formation. They both whisper the following...

"The fate of all is inevitable..."

Another shot of the bald man and his mysterious weapon, grinning madly.

"Those fools have no idea of the powers I possess..."

Back to Candracar, the Aurameres begin to glow with a dark light. Another shot of Haruka, but in this shot, she is smiling. A tear falls from her eyes...

"The heart is truly incredible..."

Back to the field of keyblades. Haruka walks up and wrenches a Sweet Crest-style keyblade from the ground. Maylin appears and does the same with a keyblade similar to Chinese Spirit. The two stare at each other and nod.

Haruka and Maylin join hands. We can hear the following words...

"If only we had more time..."

These subtitles can be seen...

_W.I.T.C.H._

_A Sealed Story_

_Two of Their Kind_

A couple seconds of silence, and then we see Maylin and Haruka standing on the plateau, hand in hand. Both of them are smiling and have tears running down their eyes. A quick flash of Nick can be seen before we fade to the following words on a black screen...

_A new story awaits the awakening..._


End file.
